Enslaved: Danger Days
by T2 Angel
Summary: Sequel to "Words We Couldn't Say." Monkey and Trip have done it, overcome Pyramid, and are off to find peace. But, when Monkey's past comes back to haunt him, will he, Trip, and the love they found for one another survive? Rated T for language and violence.
1. New Start

Ladies and Gentlemen... Here we go! Time for an Enslaved story! Now, here is the deal, this takes place after my one-shot "Words We Couldn't Say." If you haven't read it... I suggest you go do so. You don't need to read it to follow this story... but I just REALLY want you guys to read it! :) Now, then... it's time for another adventure for Monkey and Trip. Here is how we are going to start.

Also, the rating is T for language and violence but nothing to overt.

Enjoy...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Enslaved. If I did, I'd be working on a sequel. But I don't.

* * *

**Chapter 1: New Start**

Three days after the deactivation of Pyramid, most of the world is unaware the threat of the mechs is a thing of the past. So many people still cower in fear of the possibility of a mech attack that very few of them are even curious as to why the attacks have suddenly ceased. They just imagined that it is just a matter of time before the ships fly over head or another wave of mechs finds them. However, there are always those who stand ready for attacks from the mechanical oppressors and those who scavenge the world to survive. Through these strong few, slowly but surely, the revelation of mechs of being deactivated is coming to light.

One such group who learn of this new development in the world… is about to use it to their advantage.

The brown haired, lean and fit, Stern sat at his desk in his mansion in the town of Steel, situated 500 miles southeast of Pigsy's swamp. He was leaning back with his feet on desk, reading book, while his girlfriend, the raven-haired, curvy, muscular Hammer, sat on the desk reading as well. Suddenly, two of their cronies rushed in. They both looked to see the identical twin muscle bound, trucker brothers, Roadblock and Barricade, breathing hard.

Hammer noticed they were standing awkwardly and, while breathing hard, had their mouths open like they wanted to say something.

"What's wrong with you nimrods?" she asked.

"The bots, Boss Lady," Roadblock said.

"What about them?" Stern asked, never looking up from his book.

"They shut down, Big Boss," Barricade answered.

Stern stopped reading, as did Hammer. He looked up at them, curious by what they meant. He took his legs down from the desk. "What do you mean shut down?"

"They just turned off… just… off."

"Since when?"

"Our guys have said they all realized it about three days ago, Big Boss. Might'a been longer."

Stern stopped for a few seconds to let this news sink in. "So… they're not active? At all?"

"No… sir."

Stern couldn't believe it. He looked at Hammer, who was stunned as well. Soon, they both smiled. This was very good news.

Stern stood up, "Gas up the trucks, boys, and get all the boys and girls together. Business is about to pick up again. More than ever before."

Over a thousand miles west, the two responsible for the disabling of Pyramid, Monkey and Trip, sat at the edge of the river in the forest they found after shutting it down and escaping. With getting to Pyramid, disabling it, running from it, and the admission of their feelings for one another just days ago, they were both very exhausted and the rest was welcome. They had been at the river for four days, just taking a breather, enjoying being alive, and getting their strength back from all the constant battle. It was the first time Trip had been able to finally sleep peacefully since this all started and it was the first time Monkey had actually gotten a good sleep since… well, he couldn't remember the last time it happened.

Trip was fast asleep against Monkey while he stared up at the morning sky. He had only woken up 15 minutes ago. He enjoyed the peaceful scene and the beauty lying on his chest. This was the very first time he could remember waking up and not being on constant alert for mech attacks. He looked down at Trip, realizing that for the first time he could ever remember, he felt happy.

Trip started to move. She slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked up at Monkey. A more welcome sight she had never seen, especially with everything else going on. "Hey."

"Hey."

She rubbed her eyes. "It's morning already?"

"Yeah."

She moaned and just put her arms around his waist, squeezing tighter. "So… I know we haven't talked about it but… what do we do now?"

He sighed. That was a good question. "Well… I do want my ride back."

She smiled. "I should've known that."

"But going back across the wasteland to get it will be hard without something to ride in."

She thought that over. "Soooo, we need a ride… to get your ride?"

He slightly shrugged, "I can see how that sounds… but yeah."

"No. I get it. It's not like we have anything else to do." She sighed. "So, how do we get back across the wasteland?"

"I think I remember seeing wreck yard not far from here when we got out of Pyramid. It's about a day or so from here."

She sighed. "Long trip."

"Yep."

She sighed, "Oh, well. At least there aren't any more mechs."

Monkey scoffed. "Yeah… but…" He thought back, "…there are some things worse than mechs out there."

She looked at him very surprised. "You serious?"

"You grew up in a nice community, Trip. I grew up out here. Believe me, there are things… people… out here that make mechs seem like a joy." He paused, "At least, with mechs… you know what you're getting."

Trip stared at him. This was a different tone for him. "Seems like you know a lot about that."

He paused for a while as he remembered a past he'd rather forget. "A little too much."

This was bothering him. That much was easy to tell. For a guy who never let things get to him, this really did. "So, what do you wanna do?"

"Let's find that junkyard. Then head back."

"And after that?"

That was another really good question. He really had no idea. "I don't know."

The duo made it to the junkyard which was a day and half's walk from the forest. They looked through the junkyard, trying to find something to ride or drive back across the wasteland. When they came across some deactivated mechs, Monkey jumped into battle mode, expanding his staff.

"Relax," Trip said. "They're off-line, remember?"

"Oh." He retracted his weapon. "Right."

She giggled. "Nice to know you're still ready to fight."

"Don't know how else to be."

They both scavenged around for a vehicle that could take them across the country back to Pigsy's swamp. They soon found a passable vehicle: an old tow truck with a sturdy frame and battering-like grill. It seemed in good enough condition to at least start. But it was still a wreck.

Monkey groaned, "Are you kidding me…"

"Don't be like that." Trip stared at it. "I'm sure it'll run."

A metal panel fell off the side.

"…with some work."

Monkey folded his arms. "Yeah. A lotta work."

"Maybe." She looked around and she looked back at the off-line mechs. "Hmm…"

"What?"

"I think… I think maybe we can use parts from the mechs to get this thing working."

"How?"

She looked at him. "Do you really want me to explain?"

He thought about the long explanation tied to her explaining how she would get it working and knew most of it would go right over his head. "Nope."

She giggled. "Can you drag a few mechs over so I can get to work?"

"Sure." He started to walk off but then stopped. He looked at her. "It's going to be a long night… isn't it?"

She smiled. "Oh… yeah."

He groaned.

Back in Steel, Stern and Hammer had their soldiers assembled outside of their mansion. They were very breathing, living example of the term "rough necks." Men and women, who were all dressed in clothing that had seemingly never been washed and they all had seen their fair share of battles. There wasn't one among them that didn't have tattoos or battle scars. The soldiers were all talking loud and making what others describe as rude gestures while waiting for their leaders to begin.

After a few more minutes of noise, Hammer stood up on a table and whistled loud enough to get everyone to quiet down. "Hey, you morons! Listen up!"

They fell silent.

"Thanks, babe," Stern said to Hammer. He climbed up on the table. "The mechs are shut down!" He spread his arms out, "They're off-line! Now, people think that they are going to just live the life the way they want to. But… but what do they know? People living in their perfect little communities. They don't know what it's like out here. Without mechs. Not like we do. No, no, they need us. THEY NEED US NOW MORE THAN EVER!"

Cheers came from the crowd.

"So, what do you say?! Let's show 'em, huh?! Let's go out there and show them all how much they need THE DREADS!"

Even more cheers came out.

Hammer spoke next, "So, get your asses out there…" She leaned on Stern's shoulder. "…and bring Momma and Daddy home something nice."

They all cheered and whooped and raced for their vehicles with bloodlust and a craving for damage coursing through them all. They all drove off into the night as Stern and Hammer went back into the mansion.

"And how long before people get tired of us just taking things?" Hammer asked. "How long before they decide to try and fight back?"

"Let them try," Stern said. "They'll find out we run things for a reason."

Hammer laughed quietly.

"After all, who in the hell is tough enough to take us down?"

* * *

Who indeed, Stern, who indeed?

How was the start? Trust me, you're going to learn a lot more about the Dreads and their leaders in due time. Be here for the next chapter.

**Next Chapter: Dreads**

Monkey and Trip are about to have their first run in with the Dreads. At least... it will be Trip's first run in.

You won't wanna miss it.

As always, REVIEW, PEOPLE! I LOVE THOSE!


	2. Dreads

What?! ...T2 Angel with a chapter update this quick?! Huh?! That's right! It's here! It's here! Chapter 2: Dreads is up!

Quick recap: Monkey and Trip are trying to get back out East to Pigsy's old swamp to get Monkey's bike back. Meanwhile, a group known as the Dreads are on the move.

And these two groups are about to be on a collision course.

What will happen when they run into each other?

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**Chapter 2: Dreads**

Monkey and Trip worked to get the truck, even going all through the night, taking parts from the no longer functioning mechs to get it to start up and run decent. With no gasoline and now power cells, Trip's plan was to rig the same power chargers the mechs used to power the truck. While admittedly complicated, she was positive she could make it work. And Monkey believed her. It wasn't like he had a better plan.

It turned out to be a slightly more complicated venture than Trip thought. Some of the more dangerous flaws and endeavors Monkey almost bared the full brunt of.

After a few semi-successful to downright disastrous tries, they finally got the truck running by the following morning.

Monkey, who was standing with his face covered in charcoal dust, was a little less than impressed and not quite as enthused as his girlfriend was. He stood there was his head cocked slightly to the side and an upset face, due to the number of failed attempts. "And you're sure this won't blow up in my face… again?"

Trip wiped a smudge of grease off her cheek. "Pretty sure."

Rolling his eyes, he groaned, "Oh, great…"

"Oh, give me a break."

"I did… then you nearly set me on fire."

"An accident! Trial and error."

"I hope you didn't have this kind of trial and error putting the headband on me."

She shrugged then joked, "Well…"

"Not funny, Trip."

She walked up to him and wiped some charcoal off his lips. She kissed him. "Will you just trust me?"

Fortunately, the rest of the charcoal was hiding the fact that he was starting to blush. He looked away from her. "Fine."

She smiled. "Good." She got inside the truck in the driver side. She started it up. "See? This is the third time we started it up with this configuration and nothing bad happened. It works just fine. Alright?"

He nodded.

"Cool. You ready to go?"

Monkey said nothing. He calmly walked over to the driver side door. He stopped and stared at the red haired girl. "What are you doing?"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"What… are _you_… doing?"

She looked around perplexed, not sure if it was a trick question. She looked back at him. "Starting the truck?"

"Yeah… and then?"

"I'm gonna drive."

He shook his head, "No."

"No?"

"No." He started to get in, "Move over."

"What are you… Hey!" He gently moved Trip to the passenger side. "Monkey!"

He closed the door and stared at her. "Last time you drove… ya nearly killed us both."

She scoffed. She was almost surprised he remembered that. It did seem a long time ago. "Oh, come on! That was on a crumbling bridge! With mechs shooting at us! I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt there."

"Whatever. You're not driving."

"But…"

"No."

"Monkey!"

"No."

She sighed in disgust. She threw her back against the seat, folding her arms. "One bad experience…"

"Say what ya want. You're not driving."

She huffed.

Monkey revved the truck's engine and drove it out of the junkyard, headed back East. After driving for a few minutes, Trip suddenly giggled.

Monkey looked over at her and asked, "What?"

She looked at him. "First argument as a couple."

He looked back ahead, shaking his head, and, though tried not to… he couldn't help but smile.

A couple of days later, Monkey had driven them about far enough to the point that they were about five days from Pigsy's swamp. They were on a highway that led to a settlement Monkey was familiar with. Trip was asleep on the passenger side, her head tilted back against the chair.

"Hey, Trip," Monkey said.

"Hmm?" She kept her eyes closed.

"Wanna stop somewhere?"

She groaned and moved to get more comfortable. "Up to you."

"Alright."

He drove to the town, called Crater, where they could stop for food and to rest a little. Crater was a walled-off community with metal walls and soldiers all around to guard the place from mech attacks. The streets were wide enough for travelers to drive their vehicles through. Monkey drove the truck into the town, parked, and he and Trip checked out the town. They walked around for a while, trading parts that they took from the junkyard for food and the like. They were walking down a street, Trip carrying a bag of food, when Monkey heard a lot of engines rolling in the street. He looked to see a group of vehicles, consisting of a car and two sand buggies, just pulling into the town.

Monkey couldn't explain it… but he didn't like the looks of this. "Trip… go wait by the truck."

She looked at him confused. "Why?"

"Just do it." He walked off to meet the on-coming roaders.

The roaders parked and exited their vehicles, all looking dirty, messy, and tough. They started harassing and intimidating anyone they saw. No one bothered to stop them as no one wanted to really get in there way or get involved. Even the soldiers who defended the town from mech attacks saw no point in stopping a bunch of rabble rousers. Though they could've easily taken them out, there were more important things that required their attention, they figured.

Monkey had always been of a slightly different breed.

While the ruffians were hassling a food owner in a market about getting free food, which the owner was about to give if for no other reason than self-preservation, Monkey approached.

"Hey!" he shouted, getting their attention. "Leave 'im alone." He stood calm but gave off enough presence to let them know he was ready to fight.

They all looked at each other, surprised someone was stepping up to them, then looked back at Monkey and started laughing.

"Well, lookie, here, boys!" one of the roaders exclaimed. "We got us here a regular hero."

Monkey just looked at them all. "I know guys like you and I know what you're all about. And I don't like ya. Why don't ya just get the hell out of here?"

The first man walked up to Monkey and put his finger in his chest. "Well, big man… why don't you… make us?"

That was all the invitation Monkey needed.

He grabbed the man's wrist, flipped him over, and, coming down with a chop, broke the man's arm. The other five men rushed at Monkey. He wasted no time in deploying his staff and knocking them all away with a swipe. One of them got up and rush at Monkey with a knife. Monkey deflected him with the staff then kicked him in the face, taking out a couple of teeth. The remaining guys got up but backed off. They grabbed hold of their fallen comrades and promptly retreated.

The first man who confronted Monkey, who seemed to be their leader, was still groaning in pain at his broken arm, holding it close to his chest. "Ya think this is over? It ain't over! The Dreads will get ya, big man! You best believe that! The Dreads are gon' get ya!"

Monkey squinted his eyes. '_Dreads…_' There was a name he honestly thought he'd never hear again. He was hoping he never would hear it again.

All this time… and it still sent shivers down his spine.

The Dreads got in their vehicles and drove off, leaving the townspeople cheering for Monkey. The Dreads had a habit of making the townspeople do whatever they wanted but they were grateful to have someone stand up to them.

But their cheers went unnoticed by the wastelander.

He was not in as celebratory a mood… not after hearing that name. '_Great… Just great… they're still around. Guess I shouldn't be surprised._' He rubbed his head, only managing to touch his slaver headband. '_How long before I gotta run into them again?_'

"Monkey?" Trip walked up. She had never seen him so deep in thought… or clearly bothered by something. "You okay?

He tried to shake off his focus. "Umm… yeah, yeah." He looked at her. "Listen… I don't feel much like driving. Why don't we stay here for tonight?"

She was surprised. He was always one to keep moving. "Are you sure?"

He nodded then quietly walked away.

She could tell something was bothering him. He didn't say it but she could it hear it in his voice and, one of the few times she could remember, she could see it in his eyes.

In Steel that night, Stern and Hammer were just waiting for the first of the Dreads to return with any goods to keep and collect or any news relating to such. Rod, Stern's field leader and second-in-command, third after Hammer, walked in as stoic as face as ever. Standing at 6' 2", Rod had the body and discipline of a military man, complete with a buzz cut and caged aggression which could almost be seen smoldering in his eyes. He also sported a black facial hair that was trimmed down and flesh tone colored tattoos. He stood silently until one of them spoke to him first, as he always did.

Stern looked at him and sighed. "You seldom walk in here with news I wanna hear, so, out with it. What is it, Rod?"

"Some of our boys had some bad luck in Crater," answered Rod. "They had in run-in with someone. The man broke Kraze's arm and Lean's jaw."

"Who?"

Rod paused before going on, trying to form the words he needed. "Someone…" he sighed. "…we know."

Hammer looked up. "What do you mean 'someone we know'?"

"They saw…" His mouth was ajar for a while before he finally spoke, "him."

Hammer rolled her eyes. "Him who, moron?"

He stood silent for second, hoping they would hear the mental hint. Then, he slowly said, "Him."

The tone Rod used and the look his eyes gave Stern and Hammer all of the information the Dread leaders need to the identity of this attacker.

Only one man could make Rod look and sound like that.

Stern's eyes became wide. He sat up. "You mean…"

"Yes."

"Wait!" Hammer stood up. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You mean… _him_ him?"

"Yes."

"Kraze and Lean… saw him."

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Stern asked.

"They described him perfectly. Right down to the tattoos, hair, and face paint. Hard to forget a man who brakes your bones. From the description, his marks were faded but that's to be expected. They were there."

Hammer laughed. "No way!"

Stern was so surprised. "He's still alive…"

"You said he was dead," Hammer said to Rod.

"I thought he was," Rod shrugged. "It was years ago. About ten, I believe. I saw him die, though."

Hammer scoffed. "I guess even you get things wrong."

Rod simply didn't care about her comment. He looked at Stern, "What are your orders, sir?"

Hammer looked at her man, "You want we should gut him, baby?"

Stern thought over all the courses of action, dealing with this particular situation required some thought. "No… no, not yet. Tell our boys that if they see… him again. Just make sure he knows that I want to see him. After all… we have to at least show respect to an old friend. We owe him that much. Right?"

Rod nodded. "Yes, sir." He left the room.

Hammer laughed. "He's still alive. Can you believe it?"

"Barely."

"Even if he survived the last time, I thought the mechs would've got him."

"Me, too. Guess we shouldn't be surprised. He's always been one tough bastard." Stern looked down at the desk. "So… you're still alive. Time to get reacquainted. We do have a lot of catching up to do. Wouldn't you say… Monkey?"

* * *

So... the leaders of the Dreads know Monkey. But how? What do they know about Monkey? And vice versa. Stay tuned folks.

**Next chapter: Haunted Memories**

Monkey reminisces about the Dreads. Meanwhile, Stern, Hammer, and Rod make plans about their next meeting with Monkey.

Be here for it.

And, always, I LOVE REVIEWS! SEND THEM IN!


	3. Haunted Memories

Okay! I'm back! Sorry I took so long. I had another story idea I had to get out before I finished this one up. Okay! Now, we are going to learn a little bit more about Monkey and the Dreads. What will we learn? Read and find out!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Haunted Memories**

In Crater, that night, Monkey standing at the window of the room he and Trip were staying in. Trip was fast asleep but Monkey couldn't fix it in his mind to rest. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't feel like driving but he was a long way from wanting to sleep either. Since he was used to going days without sleep, the fact that he wasn't tired wasn't bothering him. He had far more pressing issues weighing on his mind.

And those issues could all be summed up in one name.

Dreads.

His eyes were going to and fro as he looked out of the window, not looking at anything in particular. '_Stern…_ _you're out there, huh? You haven't even changed. You got your boys picking on weaker people… just 'cause you can.' _He sighed._ 'But… was I ever any better?_'

Seeing them brought up old memories that he had long since suppressed. Memories of riding across the wasteland and fighting mechs. Memories of scavenging and exploring. Those memories weren't so bad. Even his early days of getting to know the Dread leaders before they were such a thing weren't bad.

It was the ones of violence and destruction he tried to forget.

What he used to do… when he was one of the Dreads.

The very notion of remembering that made him hate himself all over again.

Monkey hadn't thought about it in over a decade, since that was the last time he saw any of them. He actually imagined they were all dead now since they hadn't found him. He kept in constant to travel to avoid mechs, which was true. But he also never wanted to run into any Dreads ever again. The last time he saw them, they nearly killed him. For a second, even he thought they succeeded. He managed to survive and stayed off their radar ever since. He figured they thought he was dead… which worked in his favor.

That was over ten years ago. Probably fifteen. He couldn't remember how long it had been and he didn't care. He was just grateful that it hadn't been in a long time.

But Monkey knew in his heart it wouldn't last. He imagined even he couldn't avoid them forever.

And today was proof.

He was never a full believer in fate but, every time he ran into the Dreads, he never completely dismissed the idea either.

It was like he could never escape them… or what he used to be… no matter how far he ran. He purposefully stayed away from people, isolated himself and even that wasn't enough. They had tracked him down anyway.

But then he realized. They didn't track him down. He ran into them by chance… or by fate… which, more and more, Monkey was believing in, despite himself.

A chance meeting? With the Dreads?

No, this was bound to happen.

It had to be fate.

They had been a collision course for years, over a decade. It was just bound to happen, at some point.

It just bothered Monkey that it came at time when his life was actually… going somewhere.

With someone.

Someone he wanted to be around and who he wanted to be around him.

He had to protect Trip from them. That was the most important thing.

He just wondered how far he would have to go to protect her. And he wasn't thinking about distance. But how far into who he used to be would he have to go just to keep her from them.

Lying in the bed, Trip slowly woke up, almost as if she could hear Monkey thinking about her. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she saw Monkey was standing at the window. She pushed herself up with her arm. "Monkey?"

He didn't hear her. He was still lost in his thoughts.

She had never seen him like this, and it was starting to worry her a little. She got up and walked up to him. She put her hand on his back. "Hey."

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Oh… you're awake."

"Yeah. But… why are you?"

"Can't sleep."

"Why? What's wrong?"

He wanted to tell her but he was worried about what she would say. It wasn't exactly a happy story to tell. "N-Nothing."

She looked at him. "You're lying."

He was surprised. "You can tell?"

"I can now."

He sighed. That was the one drawback of letting someone get close, especially as close as he was to Trip. Most time of the time he didn't mind her being so close… but this was the one thing that she couldn't be close to.

"Monkey, what's wrong?"

He looked away, looking back out the window. "I'd… rather not say, Trip."

"But…"

He closed his eyes. "Trip." He turned and looked back at her, "Please."

She had never, in all their time, heard him say the word 'please' before. There was a time, early in their travels, she was convinced he couldn't say that word. But he just used it. So quietly… almost pleading with her. Quite frankly, it scared her. "O…Okay…"

He groaned. "Look… go on back to bed. I'll be fine."

She nodded. She went back to bed, her eyes focused on Monkey the whole time, making it hard for to fall back asleep. Monkey continued to stare at nothing for the rest of the night.

The next day, the two of them packed their supplies and left Crater. They drove for hours in silence. Trip tried to relax and sleep but couldn't. She was worried about Monkey and, for the first time, for his mindset. Monkey was focused on driving but, in truth, they were lucky that the mechs were no longer an issue as he was nowhere near as alert as he usually was. He just kept thinking about Stern and the Dreads and how they were still around and how it might be even harder to stay out of their reach this time as oppose to the last time. Ironically, the lack of mechs just meant the Dreads would be even more active.

He also thought about what would happen when the inevitable would happen: when he would have to fight them again.

Was he ready?

"Monkey?"

Trip's voice shocked him out of his stupor. "Uhh… yeah?"

"What's going on? You've been… really different since yesterday."

He was quiet. "It's… it's nothing…"

"No, it's not. It's something. So, tell me."

He was quiet as he looked out of the windshield, contemplating whether not to tell her. The problem with telling her was… when people learned about his past, it turned them off immediately. And, while he didn't care what other people thought, he didn't want the looks or the judgment. But when it came to Trip, her judgment did indeed matter, more than the entire planet's, hers mattered. He didn't want the person he loves to hate him.

If he lost her…

"Monkey?"

Her voice brought him back again. He looked back at her. He decided to tell her what he could… without disclosing everything. Only that was going to be hard. Trip's eyes were more dangerous to him than any mech: they had the power to make him do just about anything she asked. Damn the headband… her eyes were far more commanding. "The guys… who were harassing the town…"

"Yeah?"

"I know them."

She was stunned. "You know them?"

"Well, not those guys. But…the group they're from, yeah."

"What group?"

"They're scavengers, marauders. The Dreads."

"How do you know them?"

There it was. The Dreaded question. The very one Monkey wasn't sure how to answer. He sighed and did the best he could to answer… without giving his own past away. "We… we've, uh, had run-ins with each other in the past. Never cared about them one way or the other at first but we got into fights later." More or less, that was the truth.

"You fought them? Wow. I'm shocked." Sarcasm was attached to every one of her words. She smiled.

He scoffed and shook his head.

"So, what now?"

"I dunno. But… I never do. Hopefully, we can just avoid 'em from now on." That was his prayer. And he never prayed.

Trip adjusted in her seat, "Here's hoping."

As they both became silent again, Monkey's mind went to the days where knowing the Dreads didn't seem like such a bad idea. It meant protection and companionship… at least, that's how it started. Those were the days when Stern didn't seem like such a bad guy. Monkey almost chuckled… at how wrong he was about that.

In Steel, Stern was sitting at desk, looking at an old photograph. It was a picture of himself, Monkey, Hammer, and Rod when they were younger and an older gentleman standing behind them. Stern chuckled. "Ah… good times."

Rod walked in.

Stern looked up at him, "What?"

"Monkey was gone from the town. We sent in Dreads to simply search, not cause trouble just in case, but no luck. He was already gone."

Stern scoffed. "Not surprised."

Hammer walked in next. "What happened?"

"Monkey's in the wind."

She clicked her tongue. "Crap. What now?"

Stern looked back at Rod. "Where was he headed?"

"People said he was in a truck, on his way east. Travelling in truck with some girl."

Stern was stunned. "Wha… Say what?"

"He's travelling with someone?" Hammer asked.

Rod nodded.

"A girl?"

The lieutenant nodded again.

They all knew Monkey, hearing this was definitely news they didn't expect. It didn't even fit Monkey's persona to have anyone else in his life. At least, not anymore.

Hammer looked at her boyfriend. "What do you think that's about?"

Stern shook his head, "I don't know. Monkey's not one to get attached, we all know that. This girl must have something on him."

"He's wearing a slaver headband," Rod pointed out, suddenly.

There was some even more shocking news. And pertinent information.

They both stared at him, Hammer letting her irritation show.

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" she asked.

"Slipped my mind," Rod shrugged.

"…Moron…"

Stern chuckled. "So that must be it. This girl must've enslaved him." He looked at Rod, "Is that even possible?"

"I've never heard of it being done outside of Pyramid," Rod replied, "but… anything's possible, I guess."

The machinations in Stern's mind started to move. Devious and dangerous those machines are. Mechs weren't as monstrous as Stern's mind. "So… he's got to follow her around. If we take her out, Monkey would owe us a favor for freeing him." He chuckled. "Oh, I love it!"

"But the headbands went down after Pyramid did," Hammer pointed out. "How does his still work?"

"Who knows? Let's find them and ask." He looked at Rod again. "You said east?"

"Yes, sir," Rod answered.

"Get word to the Dreads. Everything stops. Find Monkey. That's their only mission. Take out this girl. And let Monkey know that I want to see him."

* * *

So... now we know. Surprising huh? Before you guy get too judgmental... just remember there's more to Monkey than meets the eye. Stay tuned. We will get there. But... on to other things...

The word has gone out! And the Dreads are on the hunt! With no way of knowing this, can Monkey and Trip stay a step ahead of them? Or is Monkey's belief in fate dead-on and his collision course with the Dreads just a matter of time?

**Next Chapter: Connection Reestablished**

Monkey and Trip make it back to Pigsy's. Meanwhile, the Dreads are on the hunt for Monkey. How long before these two groups collide?

Be here for it!

REVIEWS! :)


	4. Connection Reestablished

Alright! Chapter 4 is now here! Hey, guys, I'll admit that things are a little bit slow at first but... it's gonna be worth the wait. Keep reading. Things are about to get good.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Connection Reestablished**

After a few more days of straight driving, relative silence, and no trouble, Monkey and Trip made it back to Pigsy's swamp. They walked into the old mechanic's home, looking around; more or less, for anything that might be helpful but in general just having a look at the place. But, most importantly, they both took time to remember what Pigsy did for them and how he helped. As creepy and slightly traitorous as the guy was, he did save their lives and died for it. He had earned their respect, even Monkey could admit that.

Despite that, they knew they couldn't dwell on it too much. Life had to go on. They both knew that. And it was necessary. Besides, they couldn't mourn what was ultimately his choice. Trip knew he wouldn't want them to.

With all of the driving he did, Monkey found himself groggy and decided that he wanted to get some rest. However, he absolutely refused to stay in any room Pigsy stayed in. Not so much on principle but on overall cleanliness.

After Trip's laughing but ultimate agreement, they searched for others rooms that might be more suitable. It was easy to tell which room was his. There were a lot of half finished mechanical projects and various foods scattered about. The far more disturbing clues were that there were quite a bit of questionable drawings and pictures of women that even made Monkey groan and shake his head. They eventually found another room and, even with the far inferior mattress within it as Pigsy didn't entertain much, if ever, this room was clearly the far better choice. Grateful for a mattress of any kind, the wastelander lied down to get some much needed rest.

While he was getting some rest, Trip started looking around the place, her always technical mind going, which led to her finishing a couple of Pigsy's small projects while just looking around. She actually was impressed with Pigsy's technical skills… even if he was a bit disturbing. She continued to search the old tinker's home, looking for anything and everything that might be interesting or useful. After a couple of hours, Trip found a few items that gave her idea.

"Hey, Monkey!" she said, excited, as she rushed back in the room.

He groaned as he started to wake up. He could tell from her tone nothing was wrong so he didn't rush.

She recoiled after realizing she woke him up. "Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it." He shifted on the mattress. "What is it?"

"Sit up."

He looked at her curious. "Why?" He did so, sitting up on the mattress, crossing his legs.

She started moving around parts in her arms. "Because I think I can take the headband off with this stuff." She set the parts down on the floor, holding on to a couple that she deemed useful.

He looked at her surprised. "You can?"

"Yeah." She crawled on to the mattress then kneeled in front of him, looking over and putting her hands on the control device. "One of the reasons I haven't done it already is because I was worried I would hurt you. But with some of the tools I found, I think I can take it off without any trouble." She looked at it some more, "At least, I'm pretty sure I can…"

He quietly took hold of her hands and pulled them down. "Don't."

She looked at him surprised. "But, Monkey, it doesn't even work. I can get it off and…"

He shrugged, "Maybe we can get it working again."

"What? You want it to?"

"Why not?"

"Because the thing caused you to have pain and hallucinate."

"Yeah, I know."

She tried moving her hands, "So, just let me…"

He held on to her arms, gently but firmly. "Don't, Trip."

"Monkey…"

He figured there was only one way to explain to her why he wanted to leave it on… particularly since he isn't the most talkative person in the world. And more so favored action anyway. He put his hand on the side of her face, and pulled her in close for a kiss. After the kiss, Trip's cheeks were burning bright red.

He smirked. "Why do you think I asked you turn it back on in the first place?"

She was love struck, the first time she could honestly say that when it came to Monkey. It took her what felt like forever to her to find the words to speak again. "Umm… well… umm… I… guess I can try and turn it back on… i-if that's what… you want."

He nodded.

She was still in a bit of a daze, her cheeks still as red as her hair, stumbling as she stepped off the bed. She tried to play it off but only blushed more when she heard Monkey chuckle lowly. She found a few more parts, came back to the room, and got to work on turning the headband back on.

In Steel, Rod informed Stern and Hammer that there had been no sign of Monkey since Crater. This meant the only news they had still was that he was headed east.

"What could possibly be east that Monkey is going that way?" Hammer asked.

"Who knows?" Stern asked. "What's any direction now days?" He started to pace around his desk, considering all possible ideas. With all the places Monkey didn't go, it did seem odd that he picked a singular direction to head to. What would be in that direction? Does this girl have anything to do with it? He stopped walking and looked up as an idea struck. "Hey, what about Pigsy?"

Hammer raised an eyebrow. "The old codger? He's a creep."

"But he's got some cool toys." The Dread leader looked at his lieutenant. "Rod, take some of the boys with you and go to Pigsy's place. Find the old guy. He's a pretty big parts trader. Maybe Monkey is looking for him."

"For what?" Hammer asked.

"Who knows, babe? That's the point. Let's find them both and find out." Stern inclined his head, "Maybe the old man even has something to track headbands. If Monkey isn't looking for Pigsy, we can use Pigsy to look for Monkey."

Hammer thought about it but then realized it hardly mattered. She shrugged, "Why not?"

Stern looked back at the Dread field commander. "Make sure the stupid twins are with you."

Rod knew Stern meant Roadblock and Barricade. "Why?"

"If… and I mean, when… you find Monkey, you'll need the back-up."

Rod took serious offense to that. "No, I don't."

Stern stared at him, authoritatively. "He beat the hell out of our boys without breaking a sweat. What makes you think he's the same kid he was when we were all kids?"

"I can take him."

"You could. But apparently… he's learned a little bit more than just how to outclimb everyone. The boys even said that he's buffed up. So, that means he isn't some scrawny pint anymore. He might not be the pushover he used to be."

"I don't need…"

Stern shot him a deadly look, causing Rod to stop midsentence out of fear. "I gave you an order. Follow it." He never raised his voice but it didn't stop the increased intensity.

Hammer smiled. She loved seeing this side of Stern. Though he was smaller than Rod muscular wise and seemed weaker, no one knew better than the three of them how much stronger, how much tougher, and far more dangerous Stern was… than all of them.

The only one who knew that better was the very man they were hunting.

Rod exhaled harshly. "Fine."

"Leave now. Drive straight through and you should make it to Pigsy's by tomorrow."

Rod just nodded then left to do as ordered. He didn't like it… but he had no other choice.

Late that night, after hours of reworking it, connecting it to her computer again, and repowering it, Trip finally finished reactivating Monkey's headband.

"Alright…" she said.

The light flashed back on.

"…It's done."

Monkey smirked. "Thanks."

She looked away, bashfully. "I-I took out all the harmful stuff. No more… harmful or lethal doses. Just… the audio, the data, and things like that."

He nodded.

"And… thanks…"

"What for?"

She looked at him, looked away, then shrugged. "For… asking me to turn it back on."

"Why are you thanking me for that?"

"Because… because…" She looked into his eyes. "…each time I try to take turn it off… it's just me trying to pretend I don't want you around… as much as I really do."

"So, you were trying to get rid of me?" He smiled.

She huffed. "As stupid as it sounds, I was trying to let you go. And… I always hoped… you'd stay because you wanted to…"

"I do want to," he interrupted.

Him being so sweet was really throwing her. "I just don't get you sometimes," she smiled. "How in the world do you go from the guy you were when we met… to who you are now?"

He shrugged. "You changed me. Like I told you."

She shrugged. "You changed me, too."

Without anymore words, they kissed again. Trip put her arms around Monkey's neck and he put one arm around her waist.

They both stopped for air.

"Do we…" Slightly embarrassed about what she was about to ask, Trip glanced around before looking him back in his eyes. "Do we have to go across the factory… tonight?"

He smiled. He shook his head.

She was glad he agreed.

The following morning came with Monkey waking up first, refreshed and relaxed, and checking outside. He wasn't looking for anything in particular, but just keeping his eyes open, taking in the morning. He had quite the great night after all. Trip walked out to find and put her arms around him, resting her head on his back.

They both smiled.

"So… after we get the bike… where to now?" Trip asked.

Monkey thought it over. A part of him wanted to head straight for Steel, where he knew Stern was running the Dreads from. The rest of him wanted to get as far away from them as possible, if for no other reason than to keep Trip safe. "I know of a few settlements that might still be standing. Should be able to go there." He then thought his default, and admittedly favorite, choice. "Or… just keep on moving…"

"Wherever's fine with me." She squeezed tighter. She said, just barely above a whisper, "…as long as I'm with you…"

He never knew it before… but hearing those words were the greatest he'd ever heard.

A couple of hours later, they drove the truck around the derelict mech factory to get to the entrance of the swamp. They did so in order to avoid the trials of going back across the factory and having to deal with defenses that Pigsy had left in place. They made it to where the factory began to find Monkey's bike exactly where they left it.

"Ha!" Monkey grunted, positively, with a smirk.

Trip laughed. "You really like that bike, huh?"

"We've been through a lot, me and it."

"I'll bet." They both exited.

They examined the bike; it was in the exact same condition it was in when they left it weeks ago. Monkey tried starting it up but it only clicked a few times.

He looked a little unsure and started examining it.

He tried again.

"Umm… Monkey?" Trip asked.

"I got it." He tried starting it again.

Nothing. Just more clicks.

He tried one more time.

Just clicks.

He leaned forward and dropped his head, letting it hit against the bike, the metal from his headband clanking on the metal of the bike. He growled, "…damn…"

Trip looked at it then back at the truck. "I think I can get it working."

"What do you mean?" Monkey asked as she ran to the truck.

"Some of the mech parts that we couldn't use for the truck and a few things we got in town." She grabbed an armful of what seemed like junk to Monkey.

"Ya need a hand?"

"No, I got it." She dropped the parts by the bike. "See… I've been thinking I can enhance your staff and shields but I'm positive I can fix the bike."

As she started setting parts down near the bike, Monkey just stared at her. It always impressed him how her mind worked once she got going. "How long will this take, Trip?"

"Not long at all," she was looking through each piece of machinery. "It's probably just a power issue. Just got reroute some of this stuff and it'll run just fine."

Monkey folded his arms. "Trip…"

"Just let me work, Monkey." She cracked her knuckles for effect.

He shook his head. He knew better than to argue. "Alright."

Hours later, about the mid-afternoon, Trip was done. She started the bike up to demonstrate her point. He had to hand it to the lady… it sounded as good as new.

After she switched the bike off, Trip looked at him, "So, ready?"

Just before he could answer, Monkey looked on the horizon to the South to see dust being kicked up by vehicles.

Trip saw the dust clouds, as well. "Maybe it's people looking for Pigsy."

Monkey wasn't so sure.

A few minutes later, the vehicles pulled up, leaving dust and skids marks behind them. Most of the vehicles were motorcycles but the ones that stood out were a pair of pick-up trucks, and a two door sedan.

What Trip didn't realize but Monkey did was this: they were surrounding them.

Monkey moved in front of Trip to shield her as the vehicles pulled to a stop and the occupants started to exit. Monkey didn't recognize the motorcycle riders but he instantly knew the two large bodied, bandanna wearing truck drivers.

"Barricade… Roadblock…" Monkey groaned.

"Well, well, well, Kraze wasn't playin'!" Roadblock said.

"Little Monkey," Barricade said. "It's been so long."

"You've grown up, man. A little muscle on ya, now."

"Still a runt, though."

They both laughed.

After getting over the initial size of these men, Trip was shocked to hear Monkey name these men. Even more shocked that they could name him. "Monkey… do you know them?"

"Not that I like to admit it," Monkey gritted.

The door to the sedan opened, getting everyone's attention, and one of the most physically imposing men Trip had ever seen, next to Monkey, stepped out.

Monkey's eyes widened when he saw him. With the buzz cut of his blonde hair, ice cold stare, and physique, the wastelander felt like a useless kid all over again as something entered into his mind that he long since he couldn't feel anymore. He was quiet for a long time before he spoke, "Rod…"

"Hello, Monkey," Rod greeted. "Been a long time."

Trip had never heard that tone come from Monkey nor had she ever seen the look that was now in his eyes. If she didn't know any better… she'd swear…

…it was…

…fear.

* * *

And the wait is over.

Monkey and his past are now face to face. And Trip is very confused. How does Monkey know these guys? And what is about to happen now?

As always, REVIEWS! Ya know I love 'em!

**Next Chapter: DRIVE!**

Monkey's skills on his bike are about to be put to the test as he and Trip have to outrun the Dreads in a wasteland chase.

You won't wanna miss it.


	5. DRIVE!

I'm back! Glad I could get this one out so soon. And now, it's time for Chapter 5: Drive!

...I am not kidding, I JUST realized that that rhymes! I'm awesome when I don't realize it... Yay me!

Okay, that was admittedly lame. So, sue me, I'm posting this very late. I should be asleep. Oh, well. Anywho...

Recap: in our last chapter, Monkey and Trip had made it Pigsy's and were about to take off again. But now the Dreads have Monkey cornered and Trip is caught in the middle.

Let us begin...

* * *

**Chapter 5: DRIVE!**

Monkey stood with Trip, the girl he wanted a future with, behind him, while his devastating, hellish past, in the forms of Roadblock, Barricade, and, the worse of the three, Rod, stood in front of him. If ever there was a perfect picture of a nightmare situation for Monkey, this was it. There was no way he could fist fight all three of them, let alone the herd of guys they brought with them. Only thing truly mattered: getting Trip out of this mess and getting her to safety. That was all that mattered.

Monkey figured he was already dead.

Rod took a step forward. "You're looking well, Monkey. Got a little muscle on you, now. Not bad. Not the same kid I used to break whenever I wanted."

Monkey narrowed his eyes as had to keep from groaning at the very thought of their past.

Rod raised his chin up a little to look down on Monkey. "By the way, you're supposed dead."

"Not because you didn't try," Monkey replied.

"Yep. Thought I succeeded." He looked over at Trip. "Heard you were running with this girl. She put the headband on you?"

"Yeah."

"So, she enslaved you?"

"Yeah." That is what happened.

"Hmm." Rod pulled two of metal, short poles from behind his back. "So… I imagine, we take her out, you'll owe us."

Monkey grunted and extended his staff. "You lay one hand on her, Rod… and I'll show you I ain't that kid anymore…"

This stunned the Dreads. The trucker twins looked at each other confused.

"…and just how vicious I can really be."

Rod was shocked. He stared at Monkey, trying to come to terms with what he just heard. "You're… protecting her?"

Monkey said nothing and did nothing.

The realization of what was happening here slowly came to Rod. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! You mean…" He looked into Monkey's eyes and chuckled. "No… not you. Not Monkey. Don't tell me Monkey found himself a girl!" He erupted into laughter followed Barricade and Roadblock.

Trip was confused. "Monkey… what's going on? Who are these guys?"

He looked at her, ashamed of himself. He didn't want to tell her. And, right now, he couldn't. He looked away then back at Rod.

Rod was smiling, very uncharacteristically. It didn't look right on him. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Stern and Hammer."

Monkey groaned, "The bastard and the bitch are still alive? Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Trip knew Monkey's harsh tone. She'd heard it when Monkey had threatened to kill her when they first met. This was worse than that. So much worse. When he used it on her, there was something different. He was trying to survive then. Just now… it sounded like there was an actual bloodlust and total hatred in his words. It made Trip wonder, even more, who these people are and, more importantly, who they are to Monkey.

Rod face returned stoic. "They had us looking for you after what you did to our boys in Crater."

"You used ta have better people than that," Monkey claimed. "I was pissed that they're the best you guys had."

He scoffed, ignoring the comment. "They want you to come in."

"Not gonna happen."

The Dread commander twirled his poles. "Wasn't a request."

Words were done. A fight was about to take place. That much was clear.

Knowing this situation needed to changed so he could get himself and Trip out of here, Monkey wasted no time raising his staff up and firing a plasma shot, forcing all the Dreads to take cover. "TRIP, GET ON THE BIKE! START 'ER UP!"

Trip ran to do as instructed while the Dreads charged in.

Roadblock ran at Monkey but Monkey dodged the truck and kicked him in the gut. He took a few of the motorcycles riders down with a swipe from his staff just before Barricade tried to punch him. Monkey got behind the truck driver and used the staff to help flip him over face first into the dirt. Trip looked just in time to see that Rod stepped up next and demonstrated he was every bit as talented with his poles as Monkey was with his staff. He blocked every blow Monkey tried to give and almost turned those same blows right back on his adversary. Luckily, the former Dread knew those tactics and avoided any serious damage. Ignoring their fight for now, Trip started up the bike.

Once the engine roared, she heard Monkey yell something she thought he'd never hear him say… and he thought he'd never tell her.

"DRIVE!" Monkey screamed.

She heard him loud and clear and hit the throttle.

Problem was she underestimated its power.

It took off like a rocket and she, unintentionally, crashed into some of the Dreads, as she screamed all the while. She was still not in total control as the bike slid and hit Rod, knocking him down and saving Monkey, who was not faring well in his fight against him.

Once Trip got the bike to stop, she looked at Monkey was on a knee, breathing hard. "Monkey!"

He looked up and she could see it in his eyes: Rod was beating him. He collapsed his staff and got on the bike. He took the helm, Trip moving behind him. He revved up his trusty vehicle and peeled out of the area.

Despite possibly being close to beating him, Rod was shocked that Monkey put up that much of a fight. A good fight. But he was infuriated that Monkey dismantled them all, almost, by himself. He looked at the Dreads, got up, and started shouting, "YOU MISERABLE BUNCH OF LOSERS! THERE'S HOW MANY OF US AND TWO OF THEM?! AND ONE OF THEM IS A WEAK ASS GIRL! GET YOUR ASSES UP AND GET AFTER THEM!"

The motorcyclists, who could, got up first, leaving their comrades in the dirt. Roadblock and Barricade got in their respective trucks and Rod got in his car and they all took off after the couple.

On the bike, Monkey was still groaning at the bruised midsection he now had, courtesy of Rod. Trip was worried about him to no end. She didn't know anyone could take him in a fight. Of course, she didn't know that many people were as big as he was. And she just met three at the same time. She was going to loosen her grip on his midsection to lessen his pain but he put his hand on her arms, wanting her to hold on tight. She was worried even more. She knew he was hurt but… what choice did they have? He was in pain but that hardly mattered. She did. He didn't care about his pain. All he cared about what protecting her. Nothing else mattered.

She looked behind them to see the Dreads fast approaching. "MONKEY!" she cried out.

Monkey saw them coming and groaned, "Shit…" He revved the bike up more and pushed it harder to go faster.

The Dread motorcyclists started to pull alongside Monkey, some of them with metal pipes and couple of them with knives. Monkey looked back and forth at their attackers. They started to move in, attempting to surround him. Typical Dread tactics.

Monkey knew them too well. He was ready.

One of the cyclists moved in closer but Monkey slammed his bike into his first. The Dread lost control momentarily, just enough time to let Monkey get close enough again to punch him in the face, causing him and the bike to crash. Monkey had to dodge a pipe swing from another Dread. He grabbed the cyclist's arm and flipped him forward off of his bike. Two more Dreads came quickly approaching but Monkey swung the bike around, slowed down, momentarily let go of the handlebars, and clotheslined both Dreads. In an amazingly fast motion, he swung the bike around straight and sped off again.

Trip looked behind them and saw Rod and the twins quickly gaining on them. "MONKEY!"

He looked behind them and saw them fast approaching. "Dammit…" He hit the throttle again, "Trip…" his voice was labored, "whatever you do… HANG ON!"

"Right!" Trip shouted. She latched on to his waist for dear life. She had no idea how much it was necessary. At least… not yet.

Monkey pushed the bike harder and rode it hard across the ground. Rod shifted gears and began to pull up closer to him. Monkey, suddenly, broke to right, surprising Trip. He found a road and got on to it. Rod, the twins, and a few Dread cyclists followed right behind him. He didn't know where the road led but he had to find some way to get his pursuers off of their trail.

But Rod was not about to let him get away. Monkey was the ultimate prize… the only person to ever escape the Dreads… escape him. The only one to survive the Dreads after they declared him dead. The only time in his life when, after being ordered by Stern to do something, Rod failed to do it. Monkey had to be brought in. Rod had his record to maintain. And Monkey was a blemish on that record.

'_But not for much longer,_' Rod smirked at the thought as he shifted gears again.

The Dread lieutenant hit the nitrous on his car and pulled up closer to Monkey's bike. He got along side and bumped into the side of the bike, causing Trip to yelp. Monkey gritted his teeth and tried whatever he could to increase his speed. A futile effort, unfortunately. Rod was prepared for a long chase. He always was. The calculating soldier bumped the bike again. Monkey growled and, thinking quickly and acting quicker, pulled a desperate move.

He swung the bike around and flew back the direction he just came from. Not expecting that tactic, Rod and the truckers had to stop their vehicles, turn them around, and push their vehicles to the limit to catch up.

Monkey followed along the road but saw that the other Dreads who were knocked down must've recovered as more motorcycles came bearing down on them. Monkey had to make another split decision: he jumped his bike off the road and drove across the desert ground. The Dreads followed right after him.

Monkey saw them coming. He knew it was just a matter of time. He had tactics he would usually employ for moments like this… but Trip changed all of that. The last thing he needed or wanted was for her to get hurt. She was the priority. His only possible plan to get the girl he loves out of this was for her to be hurt a little and not end up dead.

He had to make a choice and he had to make it soon.

He saw a field off to the right, filled with nice soft grass.

It was perfect… or rather… it was the only way. He made his choice.

He steered toward it, taking only seconds to get to the field. "Trip," he said to her once they were upon it.

She looked up at him.

"I'm sorry…"

"What?"

He suddenly grabbed her, slowed just enough to toss her off of the bike so she wouldn't get hurt.

"MONKEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" she screamed as she flew through the air.

He saw her land rough, then roll along the grass, but she was still moving. That was all that mattered.

Seconds later, Monkey could hear Rod accelerating.

He figured what he calculated earlier was correct: he was already dead.

After intentionally not going any faster, he simply closed his eyes… and braced for impact.

With all the force he had in his car, Rod rammed into the back of Monkey's bike, causing it to skid to the side. Rod decelerated a little then waited until he was just close enough, hit the nitrous one more time and hit the bike again.

That was more than enough.

Monkey's bike sailed through the air, rotating as it went, sending itself and its operator into the sky.

Both machine and operator landed hard. The motorcycle rolled some more along the ground before coming to a stop. Monkey rolled as well, eventually going into a skid, incurring innumerous cuts and bruises from the hit, the flight, and the landing. He stopped rolling, ending up face first in the dirt.

Then all went black.

He wasn't sure how long he was out but clearly it wasn't long as he could hear vehicles coming to a stop around him. Having turned his face so he could suffocate from the dirt he was breathing in, Monkey tried to catch his breath and get his bearings as he lay on the ground but both proved to be the insanely difficult tasks. He knew that a lot was broken and everything was bruised.

Barricade appeared over him. Monkey just kept breathing as the truck driver stared down at him. Suddenly, Barricade put the bottom his boot against Monkey's face as hard and as swiftly as he could.

Monkey groaned as he breathed in dirt and his own blood, almost swearing a tooth was loose. He looked up again, this time to see Rod standing over him.

Rod scoffed. "Still second best."

"And you're… still… Stern's errand boy…" Monkey winced. "I don't see a difference."

"NO!" Trip screamed. "Let me go!"

Monkey looked over to see Roadblock holding on to his girlfriend. "Trip…" Monkey reached for her.

Walking over to Monkey's left side, Rod kicked him in the side, flipping him over and causing him to shout in pain.

"MONKEY!" Trip screamed. She was seconds from crying.

"Saving her, huh?" Rod asked. He squatted down, "What the hell happened to you?"

Monkey just looked up at him, breathing hard and staring hate into the field commander.

Rod stood up straight then looked at the Dreads. "She comes with us. No one kill her. The boss is gonna wanna talk to her." He looked back down at his former comrade, "You want her? You know where to go. That is… if you live through the night." He backed up as Roadblock dragged Trip over to Rod's car where two of the motorcyclists got in to keep her under control. Rod opened his driver side door and stared at the broken warrior. "See you in Steel, Monkey." He chuckled, "If you can make it…" He got in his car, backed away and drove off, the rest of the Dreads following suit.

Monkey got to his knees and saw Trip from the back window of Rod's car, fighting and screaming to get out.

"Trip…" Monkey fell back on his stomach. The lights slowly started fading, "Trip…" The world went black again.

* * *

Whoa... you wanna talk about a horrible situation. Things couldn't look more bleak... or could they?

What does that mean, you ask? Stay tuned.

And, yes, we are to the more exciting parts now but worry not... this story is FAR from over.

Wait and see, my friends, wait and see.

**Next Chapter: First Meetings**

Did Monkey survive the assault from Rod and the Dreads? If he did, will he be in any condition to save Trip? Meanwhile, Trip has been taken by the Dreads where she will meet their leaders: the deadly Hammer and the worse of the worst, Stern.

You don't wanna miss it!


	6. First Meetings

Alright! Chapter 6 is here. Time to learn what happened to Monkey and the Dreads have done with Trip.

Let's get right to it!

* * *

**Chapter 6: First Meetings**

"_Always sleeping, eh, Monkey?" Staff said to him._

_Monkey opened his eyes see the old man sitting by his bed. Staff's physique was just as impressive as Monkey's despite the man obvious advanced age. His hair was long and wiry and white as snow. His skin is rigid and cracked but his presence made him seem like one of the strongest warriors around._

"_You need to start waking up, kid. You're gonna help change the world. And you can't do that if you're sleeping always."_

"_Staff…"_

"_But, then again, I guess you do need some rest. Can't change the world if you're too exhausted to do that, right?" He smiled at Monkey. "Rest up, kid…" He patted Monkey's shoulder, "You're gonna need it." Staff got up and left._

"_Staff… wait… Staff…"_

Monkey woke up from his dream… or memory. He was in a bed room, lying on an old mattress. Not the most comfortable thing but it was better than nothing. He looked around and the room was as bare as could be, save for an old wooden chair and small wooden table by the bed. There was a large window behind him, on the wall that the bed was up against and another, smaller window on the opposite wall by the door. Judging from the amount of light coming in, it was morning… wherever he was.

He sat up, slowly. The pain instantly shot through him, causing him to grind his teeth and take in a sudden breath of air. He looked down at his torso and found his wounds bandaged. He reached across his stomach, clutching down, taking a few breaths to deal with the pain.

He remembered how he ended up so broken. He remembered the wasteland chase. He remembered the crash. He remembered Rod and the brothers taking Trip. That memory was the most painful. He grabbed his head, worried about her; the thought alone of what the Dreads would do to her brought him more pain than his wounds did.

He had to save her. He had to get her back. He couldn't leave her with the Dreads… there was no telling what they would do to her.

The door to the room opened and Monkey looked up. In walked an older man standing 6'-tall with a primarily grey beard and sideburns with some black hairs still present, indicating he was of an advanced age but not too advanced. He had a large scar going down the left side his face, a short haircut, and was surprisingly muscular for a man as old as he seemed to be.

"Oh, ya're up," the man spoke with a deep, gruff voice similar to Monkey's but more grizzly, though Monkey found that hard to believe at first. "Almost didn't think ya'd last the night."

Monkey looked at him, confused.

"A little surprised ya did. Ya're in some bad shape when I found ya, kid." The man pulled the chair closer to bed. "Here. Lemme check those wounds."

He started picking at Monkey's bandages, making the wastelander wince.

"Hmmm. Still a lil' tender. Shouldn't be surprised. Gave ya an energy vial, took care of most of most of yur injuries but, damn, if ya weren't messed too bad for a vial ta fix. Ya got banged up pretty good, kid."

Monkey groaned. "Ain't the first time."

"Figured as much. Seen the rest of yur scars. Imagined ya've lived through quite a bit. And glad ta hear ya talk. Other than repeating the word 'trip' over and over again, I almost thought ya had some throat damage."

Monkey looked at him.

"But this trip must be pretty important."

"She is."

The man stopped. "Oh, it's a girl!" the realization hit him. "Well, that makes sense. 'Cause I was thinkin' 'damn, where does this kid need to go that's so damn important?'"

Monkey just looked down at his damaged body.

The old man gave a slight shrug then rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry. I suck at jokes. No one around ta practice on. By the way…" he offered him a handshake, "name's Clay."

The motorcyclist looked at Clay's hand, surprised by the gesture. He shook his hand, "Monkey."

Clay gave a quick nod, "Good to meet ya."

"So… where am I?"

"My home. Don't worry. You're safe here."

Monkey rubbed the back of his head. The soreness from the crash and beating was still there. "How long was I out?"

"Found ya just last night. I was out comin' back from doin' some scavengin' when I ran across ya." He looked at Monkey's bandages again. "Listen, I gotta change those. I was hopin' ya'd be asleep when I got here so ya wouldn't feel it. Sorry if it hurts."

"Don't worry about it. Trust me…" He looked down, "…I'm used to pain."

After a half hour, Monkey's bandages were changed and he followed Clay outside to reveal that the elder gentleman lived on an old farm. They were on the master house part of the property with the room Monkey was in being the guest room, adjacent to the main house. A long, weathered wooden fence stretched around most of the property and an old barn not that far across the yard. Some of the land had the remnants of a barb wire fence that was most likely used to keep whatever livestock that used to live here in. The other distinguishing feature of the land was a large tree on a far hill. The tree was clearly hundreds of years old and in good strength as evidenced by the green leaves.

Monkey placed his hand on the wooden fence. It was still pretty sturdy. "What is this place?"

"Old animal farm I found some years back," Clay said walking up behind him. "Surprised it was still standin'. Musta been far enough away from the war ta not be directly affected." He propped his foot up on the bottom log of the fence and leaned on the top portion, staring at it all, "Always wondered what kinda people lived here."

"How come the mechs never caught you?"

"Always hide in a bunker I found here down below the house. People who lived here before musta built it. Anyway, I always get down there whenever those slaver ships come by or I hear any mechs a-comin'. Ain't seen none in a few weeks though. Heard a rumor they got shut down."

Monkey was silent. He could have easily said that he was the one who helped shut the mechs down but he didn't care right now… or at all. All he could think about was Trip.

"So, what's yur story, kid?" Clay looked at him. "Why were ya out there by yourself? And who kicked yur ass like that?"

"What was with that last question?"

"I'm just sayin' looks like ya can handle yurself."

Monkey looked back over the plains. "Apparently, not well enough."

"Happens ta everybody. We all lose from time ta time."

Monkey shook his head. This was almost too hard to bear. "I shouldn't have. It cost me… big this time."

Clay could see something was weighing heavy on this young man. He imagined that he could possibly help him. If nothing else, it was nice having someone else to talk to. And it wasn't like he had anything better to do. "Then make it right." He lightly hit Monkey's arm. "C'mon."

They walked over to the barn where Clay opened the doors and revealed a large tow truck, seemingly twice the size of the one that Monkey and Trip drove across the land to get back to Pigsy's swamp. On the back of it, very small in comparison, was Monkey's motorcycle.

"Thanks for picking up my ride," Monkey said.

"Don't mention it, kid," Clay waved it off. "Figured it was yurs since it was the only other thing in the field 'side from yur sleeping carcass." He stopped. "Ya know I thought ya were dead when I saw ya at first? Thought I'd leave ya for some poor starvin' vultures."

Monkey rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

Clay chuckled. "Oh, c'mon! That was funny."

"Depends on who you're talking to."

The old man chuckled again. "Suppose so."

The burly warrior walked over to his bike. "How do I get it down?"

"I can do that." Clay looked at Monkey, curious, "But… ya're not taking it now… are ya?"

"Yeah, I am. I gotta go get Trip."

"With those injuries?"

"I don't give a damn about that. I can fight through pain. I always do."

"That much I can tell. Let me ask ya, did whoever give ya that beatin' take yur girl?"

Monkey sighed. "Yeah."

"And ya're still goin'?"

"I'm not leaving her with them." Injuries or not, nothing was going to stop him.

Clay folded his arms. Impressive valor. "This must be some girl."

Monkey stopped. He never had to admit this before, he never had to, but… "She is." He fell silent. "…And more."

Clay stared at Monkey. He could hear the determination in his voice. It had been a long time since he'd seen anyone dedicated to anything… or anyone. It was rare in this world. So many people just did what they could to survive; no one cared about anyone else anymore, it seemed. To find someone who was willing to risk it all for another person… it told Clay that Monkey wasn't like anyone else. He had to help this man. "Kid… if ya wanna go get this girl… then ya can. But… in good conscious, I can't let ya go alone."

"No offense, Clay… because I appreciate you saving my life… but…" He sighed, "But… I'm going after the Dreads."

Clay paused.

Monkey sighed. "Like you even know who I'm…"

"THAT LITTLE RAT BASTARD STERN AND HIS LOSERS!" Clay gritted his teeth. "Ya shoulda started with that! Hell, yeah, I'm goin' wit' ya! If for no otha reason than to teach that lil' piece a-crap a lesson or two!"

Monkey was surprised. "How do you know Stern?"

"Lil' punk ass boy and his moron squad keep stealing from me! He don't come 'round here too much more because I keep leavin' his boys bleedin' and dyin' in the dirt. Don't stop the little snot from takin' some of the stuff I got my sights set on when I go scavengin'."

Monkey was shocked. He never thought anyone else besides him took on the Dreads and lived to tell about it. It made the wastelander realize that Clay was definitely able to take care of himself.

"I left yur gear in your room. And I'm guessin' that you don't want this to be a war."

Monkey growled. "Not yet. I want to get Trip first… I can kick Stern's ass later."

"Works for me. C'mon back to the house. I'll get ya some food and we can talk strategy. I know all about where the Dreads lay their collective thievin', murderin' heads." He chuckled, "I like to imagine… tear assin' through there and blowin' 'em up." He laughed.

Monkey actually smirked. He was starting to like this guy.

A couple of hours later in Steel, Trip was sitting in a room in the Dreads' mansion headquarters. There was a cot in the room but nothing else… save for the chain that bolted to the wall and latched at her ankle. After arriving, Rod had all her devices taken from her, leaving her without her computer or even her dragonfly. She didn't know what they were going to do to her but she knew she didn't want to wait to find out either. She tried, with all her might in her tiny frame, to pull the chain out the wall. She grunted and strained as she pulled on it but to no avail. After nearly an hour of trying, she eventually gave up, wishing Monkey was here with her. She was praying he was still alive. The thought of him being dead put her in a forlorn headspace. If he was gone… she was truly alone.

Hammer opened the door to the room and walked in.

Trip looked at her and was impressed by her muscle definition. She wasn't as big or muscular as Monkey, Rod, or the twins, though few were, but she definitely appeared to be able to handle herself. Trip had known women who could handle weapons before but Hammer looked like she could break men in half. From the way Monkey was toward all of them, it stood to reason that she had.

Hammer huffed. "So… you're Monkey's woman?" She stared at her, looking her over. "You're just a girl."

"Who are you?" Trip tried to mask the fear in her voice but, try as she might, she couldn't do it. She was terrified… and wanted Monkey.

"Just an old friend of Monkey's. Call me Hammer."

Though she was surprised to hear the term 'old friend' when it came to Monkey, she remembered her boyfriend's earlier description of Hammer. Trip smiled.

"What?"

"Monkey said you were a bitch."

Hammer took offense and anger washed over her face. She walked over to Trip and slapped the red haired girl so hard across her face that Trip's cheek immediately turned bright red. Trip did everything she could to keep from tearing up… but it was one hard slap.

"Awwww, poor little girl," Hammer mocked. "You gonna cry?"

Trip looked up at her with teeth bared. A trick she learned from Monkey.

"That's enough, babe," Stern said as he walked in.

Trip knew this was Stern. She couldn't tell how but she knew. She took notice that Stern's frame was much smaller than Monkey's or Rod's but that wasn't the most frightening thing about him. Even from a distance, Trip could see it: his eyes. On the surface, Stern seemed like a calm, cool individual. But, something, underneath, was deadly and dangerous and almost felt like it could be crueler than any mech and the eyes were the windows to that frightening view. Trip easily understood why he led the Dreads: there was no telling what he would to anyone who disobeyed him.

Stern pulled a chair into the room. He turned it backwards and sat down, facing Trip and leaning his arms on the back of the chair. "I'm Stern. I lead the Dreads. Hammer you already met."

Hammer just clicked her teeth.

"Now… what's your name?"

Trip was unsure on whether or not to answer but telling that much didn't seem like a problem. "T…Trip…"

"Okay, Trip. Why are you rolling with Monkey?"

Trip went with a true statement… while, at the same time, not revealing everything. "He saved my life."

Stern chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, he can do that… from time to time."

Trip looked confused.

"So… he saved your life. He protects you now or something?"

She said and did nothing.

"Girl, you better answer him," Hammer threatened.

"No, it's alright, babe," Stern insisted. "She's protecting him, now. Not wanting to give up too much right away. I think it's even safe to say that she trusts him."

He was so accurate it scared Trip. '_Who is this guy?_' she thought.

"What do you know about this man who you put so much trust into?"

"I know enough," Trip said, defiantly.

"Oooh, feisty. I like that."

Hammer kicked Trip in the gut, causing Trip to grunt and immediately ball up in a fetal position.

Stern was surprised at her attack, "Hammer!"

The raven haired girl just spit as Trip clutched her stomach tightly, groaning in pain.

Stern growled. "I love her but she gets jealous. And that temper can be a problem." He sighed as Trip continued to writhe in pain. "Anyway, like I was saying, being that he's the same person he's always been, you probably don't know much about Monkey, right?"

Trip coughed. "What are you… talking about?"

Stern smiled. "What do you know about his past?"

Trip rolled over on her back. "What? You think I'm about to just tell you everything."

That already told him all he needed to know. Monkey never told her. "No. But… I'll tell you everything." He tilted his head to the side, resting his elbow on the chair as to prop up his head with his hand. "Starting with… did you know…" He smiled. "…he used to be in the Dreads?"

* * *

Wow. Maybe Stern really is a bastard. He's certainly devious, to say the least.

But, Monkey is coming... and he's coming for Trip. And he's not alone.

By the way, what do you guys think of Clay so far? I know he's brand new but I'm curious. I thought Monkey would need an ally in all of this, especially right now.

Quick side note, can anyone guess what characters I based Stern and Clay, respectively, off of? Not direct copies but just traits. The answer will come at the end of the next chapter but here is a hint for each: Clay, came for a Marvel comics character and Stern, from a character from a post-apocalyptic movie.

Sorry, that's all you get. Ain't a stinker? Haha, anyway... REVIEWS!

**Next Chapter: Infiltration**

Monkey and Clay sneak into Steel to save Trip from the Dreads.

Be here...


	7. Infiltration

Welcome back. Recap: Monkey has been found and treated by a man named Clay. Now, they are planning to save Trip from her captors. Meanwhile, Stern has decided, and was only too happy, to share a little tidbit about Monkey's past. In particular, that the Trip's boyfriend used to be in the Dreads.

Okay, here are the next clues as to who I based Clay and Stern off of:  
Clay - based off an alternate reality version of an EXTREMELY popular Marvel Comics character  
Stern - Gary Oldman played him in a movie

Figured it out yet? The answer will be at the end of this chapter.

Now, on to Chapter 7: Infiltration.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Infiltration**

Monkey was in the room he woke up in, getting prepared to head for Steel. He was told by Clay that the room was his as often as he was in the old scavenger's home. It was late in the evening and Monkey just got his clothing, gear, and weapons together, ready to rescue Trip. He had his reservations about going to Steel but none of that mattered.

Trip was in Steel. So, that was where he had to go.

Clay walked in. "Ya ready?"

Monkey nodded.

"Alright. Steel is about 150 miles from here. We can make the drive in about three hours. Maybe a lil' longer so we can go around and not be seen. We'll have ta park a good distance away from the city then hoof it ta get the drop on 'em. Won't be easy but it should get us near town without anyone seein' us."

"Thanks, Clay." A worry entered Monkey's mind. "Ya know the second Stern realizes you're helping me, nothing's gonna stop him from coming after you."

Clay chuckled. "That little piece of crap ain't smart enough to figure that out 'less he sees me. Luckily, even if Stern knows I'm helpin' ya, he won't dare come back here."

"Why's that?"

Clay smiled. "I put up a few automated defenses made outta mechs I've grabbed over the years." He chuckled. "It's why I can go scavengin' around and come back ta the same place. Plus… that boy knows… he picks one more fight with me… he better damn well have all his affairs in order."

Monkey nodded.

"Alrighty then!" He patted Monkey on the shoulder. "C'mon, kid! Let's go get yur girl!"

That night, Monkey and Clay had driven Clay's truck about a mile and a half from Steel and walked to a hill overlooking the town. Steel was situated next to an old metal factory, hence its name. There was a large electronic tower which doubled as both an alarm and transmitter disrupter for the mechs. It was how Steel was still standing. The tower acted as early warning to the townspeople, giving them plenty of time to run and hide whenever a ship came by or too many mechs wandered by. When the warning went off, the inhabitants hid until all was clear. The transmitter made the town impossible to see to radars and things like that, making them invisible to robotics eyes when activated. These days, it was no longer necessary. The rest of the town was pretty standard: most of the town consisted of shabby looking shacks. However, Stern's mansion, which doubled as his headquarters, was unmistakable. With its stone wall, iron gate, large yard, and lavish design, it stuck out as the nicest landmark in the town.

A fact that sickened Monkey. He growled out, "Damn bastard…"

"Same thing I always say," Clay agreed. He set down a long metal case and duffle bag he brought along on the ground. "I can't tell ya how many times I've wanna come here and ring his neck then hang him and that rat of his from their feet off that gate."

Monkey looked over at him. "I don't even think I hate him that much…" He thought about it. "…yet."

Clay smirked. "Well… maybe I don't… it's just fun ta think about." He unveiled his long-range sniper rifle from the duffle bag, attaching all of the add-ons, "Ya'll have ta move pretty quick. I can pick off a few of the guards from here. But there tend not ta be too many. Stern thinks he's untouchable."

Monkey stared harshly at the city. "Oh… how wrong he is…"

"Still, hurry it up. Once they see any of their boys down, they gonna be on high alert."

"Gotcha."

He loaded the rifle. "That com on yur headband working?"

"We'll find out." The white haired warrior stood up and started heading down.

"Good luck," The old soldier took his firing position.

Minutes later, Monkey was in Steel, carefully making his way to Stern's mansion, avoiding being seen by anyone, lest he be seen by any Dreads or be seen by anyone who would report what they saw to any Dreads. The two tested the com link between them to find it was intact thanks to Monkey's headband and Clay's old receiver earpiece. After carefully avoiding detection, the large wastelander made it to the mansion. He was around the corner near the front gate to the large house when a guard was approaching. He was about to lock eyes on Monkey when a bullet silently whistled through the air and caught him in the neck, causing him to go limp. Clay was using stun bullets, to avoid blood or the risk of someone surviving long enough to warn of strange activity. Monkey climbed over the stone wall and crept quietly around the yard of his adversaries. Soon, he made it to the house itself, climbing into an open window of the second story.

Once inside, Monkey sighed. Clay wouldn't be able to pick off any enemies here. He was on his own for now.

He looked around to find he was in a study. There were lots of books and specially-designed fixtures. He imagined this was Stern's office. It fit his superiority complex. He looked on the desk to find Trip's wrist computer, which doubled as her EMP, and her dragonfly.

"Trip…" he said, concerned.

He picked up both items, put them in his back pouch, and began searching. As he quietly made his way through the house, he couldn't help but wonder if Stern, Hammer, and Rod were here waiting for him… or out looking for him. Neither was a pleasant thought but he hoped they were, at least, gone so he could get Trip out of here. He heard someone coming. He hid in the shadows of the hallways. It was a soldier with a rifle.

As he passed Monkey, the motorcyclist quickly disarmed him and put his hand over his mouth. "Listen good: unless you want me to break your neck… you'll tell me where the girl is. Got it?"

The soldier nodded and let out a muffled, "Mm-hmm."

Monkey kept his hand over the sentry's mouth. "Point."

The sentry pointed toward down another hallway on the opposite side of where Clay was watching, which would take him deeper in the house and further away from back-up. Monkey didn't like it but he didn't care. He dragged the sentry along following his direction until they came to a door that led to a rotunda section of the house. The sentry pointed profusely as the door.

"In there?" Monkey asked.

"Mm-hmm," the sentry muffled.

"Thanks."

Trip was awoken suddenly by something loudly crashing into her door. She quickly sat up, scared for her life. The door opened to the sentry falling through, unconscious. Trip looked up to see Monkey with a look of relief on his face.

"Trip…" Monkey breathed.

"Monkey…" Trip fainted.

He rushed and caught her. He took notice of her bruises and marks from where she had been hit. He instantly knew who gave them to her. "Hammer…"

"_Monkey,_" Clay's voice came over the com.

"What is it?"

"_Rod just pulled inta town. He went ta one of the shacks. It's the town bar. Stern and Hammer might be in there. Now's your chance ta get outta there._"

"Alright. I found Trip. I'm coming out now."

"_Make it fast. I don't know how long they're gonna stay there._"

"Got it."

After shattering her shackle in one punch, Monkey put his unconscious girlfriend on his back and rushed as quickly as he could to get out of the house. He hurried as quietly as he could. He knew he couldn't get out the same way he came so he looked for a back door. He soon found one. Monkey opened it.

"HEY!" a guard shouted. He was nailed a flash later by a stun bullet.

The mech fighter was really grateful for this old man now.

"_Monkey, ya're out of time,_" the elder man insisted."_Stern and his crew are headin' back now! Get outta there, kid!_"

Monkey got a better grip on Trip and ran for the stone wall. He saw a gap between the edge of the garden and the wall and put so much effort into the jump that it sent him sailing over the wall. He skidded to a stop on the ground, never letting go of Trip.

Clay saw his jump and couldn't help but be impressed. "Damn!" The old warrior looked to see that some other Dreads found the unconscious bodies of their comrades. "Shit!" He got in his com to warn Monkey. "Monkey, they're startin' ta search."

"_Aw, shit. They'll probably search the whole town. What do we do?_"

Clay looked around, trying his best to come up with a plan. He saw a few cars parked on the far side of town, near the mansion. He smiled. They looked to be derelicts but that didn't mean they couldn't explode. "I gots an idea. Move quick ta place where ya can stay hidden. When ya get the signal, run like hell back over here."

"_What signal?_"

Clay chuckled. "Trust me, kid. Ya won't be able ta miss it." He opened the long, metal case he brought with him and pulled large rocket launcher with the word "Betsy" etched on the side of it. "Alright, Betsy, give Daddy one good shot."

He pulled the trigger.

Nothing.

He groaned but took another breath and aimed again. He pulled it again.

Nothing.

Clay took a few breaths. "C'mon, baby… do it once… for me."

He pulled the trigger again.

Ignition.

The flames and exhaust shot out as the rocket streamed across the sky. It connected with the park vehicles, causing a series of explosions that got the attention of the entire town.

Smiling, Clay set the launcher down. "Oh, hell, yeah!" He quickly packed up his arsenal so, once Monkey arrived, they could make their escape.

Minutes later, Monkey, carrying Trip in his arms, ran back up the hill. "THAT was your signal?"

Clay chuckled. "Ya saw it, didn't ya?" He motioned his head back towards the truck, "C'mon. Let's go."

Monkey shook his head, chuckling. He _did_ see it. He was really starting to like this old man. They both ran for the truck and drove back for the farm.

Once the fires were out and they determined that were no enemies in Steel anymore, Stern called Hammer, Rod, Roadblock, and Barricade back to his office. While the rest stood around the office, Stern sat his desk, a faraway look in his eyes. They were all less than pleased with the fact that Monkey got one over on them but they were more impressed that he risked everything to come for Trip. He didn't face them… he simply saved her and left.

"He came here… for her." Rod shook his head. "I can't believe it."

"He didn't do this alone," Hammer said. "Someone helped him."

"But who?" Barricade asked.

"Right," Roadblock agreed. "What moron would go up against us?"

"Take your pick, losers," Hammer replied. "We've pissed off a lot of people. And not everyone is as scared of us as they should be."

"So, he's got his girl back," Rod said. "Now what?"

Stern, who had been completely quiet up to this point, leaned forward on his desk. "I'm surprised he had the nerve come to my house."

"This must be some girl to him," Hammer pointed out.

Realization hit. "Then… he'll be back."

"What makes you say that?"

"You know how Monkey holds a grudge."

Hammer laughed. "True."

"Plus… you saw the look on her face after I told her about when we all used to be 'good friends'. I doubt she sees him as the same man. He'll be back."

"So, what?" Rod asked.

"So, let get ready for him."

"How?"

"By getting someone who hates him even more than we do. Even if marginally." Stern looked at Roadblock and Barricade. "You two, Tweedledee and Dum… go let Wild Rider out of his cage. Let him know it's time to play."

* * *

Oh, what the heck?! Who is Wild Rider, now? Well... I know but not you guys. Don't worry. The story is in full swing now.

And the answer to the trivia is...  
Clay - Wolverine from the "Old Man Logan" story  
Stern - Carnegie from "The Book of Eli"

You guys like that? Huh? Haha. REVIEWS!

**Next Chapter: Pain**

Trip is recovering from the physical and mental trauma from her experience with the Dreads... and the fallout will effect her and Monkey more than either of them can possibly imagine.

You won't wanna miss this. Trust me.


	8. Pain

Alright, Chapter 8! Here we go!

Quick recap: Monkey and his new comrade, Clay, have rescued Trip from the Dreads.

Let's see how things are going...

* * *

**Chapter 8: Pain**

Trip awoke on the bed that was in, what Clay had designated, Monkey's room. She didn't recognize the room and became frightened. Going from one unfamiliar location to another was getting to be too traumatic for her. She started to remember how she got to this new location… that brought her no solace.

Even though she was saved by Monkey… she didn't feel any safer. And that, alone, was an absolutely horrible feeling.

Of course, Stern's words echoing in her mind, which were the cause of her horrible state of mind in the first place, wasn't helping either. Just the way he spoke had this way of getting inside of a person's head. He spoke with such nonchalant conviction and subtle authority it was no wonder so many people listened to him. What was even scarier was it seemed like he wasn't even trying. Between his voice, his cold eyes, Hammer's aggression, it was the third worse feeling Trip ever had in her life. The second runner up was when Pigsy sacrificed himself to save her and Monkey. Naturally, the absolute worse feeling was the day she found her father dead.

She became even more afraid when the door opened. She pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around them, shaking in fear.

Monkey stepped in. He smiled. "Hey, you're awake."

No change in expression.

She was still afraid.

Her view of him has indeed shifted. She could only see the images of the man she knows… the man she is not entirely sure she knows anymore… as what he used to be and what he used to do. Stern's words, unfortunately, had the silent ring of truth to them. Predominately, because Stern pinpointed Monkey's unwillingness to talk about the Dreads. She wondered why. Now she knew.

She couldn't believe it… but she wasn't sure she couldn't trust Monkey…

"Trip?" Monkey asked, walking toward her.

She said nothing. She couldn't.

"Trip… what's wrong?"

He moved his hand toward her and she backed away, instantly.

Monkey was shocked. He couldn't believe it. Was Trip… afraid of him? "Umm… okay…" He backed off. He didn't know what else to do or say. At the very least, he had to tell her what was going on. "We're, um… staying with a man named Clay. Nice guy. He said we can stay here as long as we want."

She said nothing. Fear was still in her eyes. And she just couldn't form any words.

"Alright." He stood up and left. Outside, he scratched his head, trying to figure out what was going with her. He walked over to the barn where Clay was working on his tow truck, having the hood open.

He looked over at Monkey. "Hey! Mornin'."

"Hey."

Clay went back to messing around with the engine. "Damn thing got all clogged up. I'd been meanin' ta change out some of these parts for months. Finally got a reason to. If we get into anotha fight wit' dem boys, we need ta have no problems."

Monkey just nodded his head, acknowledging he was paying attention when he really wasn't.

"Hey, I added some new toys to your bike," the old man said, not looking up from his work. "I had some gun blasters from mechs so I added 'em on and a pair of rocket launchers that fire upward and come screamin' back down! Goin' do some damage when we fight it out wit' those punks."

Monkey just sighed, "Thanks."

"Yep. Yur girl awake?"

The biker sat down on a couple of tires stacked on top of each other. "Yeah."

At that forlorn response, the scar-faced man looked up from inside the engine. "Well, that didn't sound happy. What's the matter, kid?"

The wastelander looked at the ground, taking a few minutes to figure out the best way to answer. "It's Trip. She, uh…" He was still searching his mind for the best way to describe it. "She's… not herself."

"Think Stern did something?"

"I know Hammer hit her. Saw some bruises."

Clay grunted. "Miserable soul suckin' witch. I hate that woman."

"Me, too."

Clay wiped his hands. "Give yur girl some time. Bein' with the Dreads ain't never easy, no matter how you have ta be around 'em. I'd hate ta imagine bein' their prisoner."

"Been there," Monkey said without even realizing it.

Clay looked at his companion with a raised eyebrow. "They got you?"

Monkey didn't answer right away. He was already afraid he said too much. Surprisingly, he realized he didn't want to lose this alliance… or friendship… with Clay either. "Not in the same way they got Trip. But… yeah…"

The grey haired scavenger stared at him for a few minutes. He couldn't see Monkey's eyes but he could his profile and read his body language. "I know that look."

Monkey looked up at him. "What look?"

Clay slammed the hood down on the truck. He leaned against the truck grill, putting his elbow on the hood. He looked at his hands as he wiped them off, "The look of a man with a loooong past." He looked up at his new housemate.

"Not that long."

"Fine. Full o' trouble, then."

He pointed at Clay. "That part is true." He sighed, lowering his hand. "Too much trouble…"

Clay chuckled. "I heard that." He looked Monkey over. He gazed at the house then back at the wastelander. He nudged his head toward the house, "She know about it?"

Monkey shook his head, "No. I don't talk to people, Clay. Trip's the only person I've really been around in so long and, if she knew all of it… all of what I did…"

"Ya scared of losin' her."

Monkey was surprised. That was it exactly.

"Been there, kid." He stood up straight. "Ya don't wanna talk about yur past, that's fine. If anyone gets it, I do. Some of us been through so much hell… damn, we'd be alone forever."

Monkey looked at Clay, curious.

"And that is a scary ass thought. Don't matter how tough we are." He shrugged, "No one wants ta always be alone. Hell, even when we feel like we deserve it."

"Damn right."

"As far as ya girl goes, just give her some time. She's been through a lot."

Was that ever true. "More than you know."

Later in the afternoon, toward the evening time, Clay brought plate of food to Trip. She was still sitting in bed, looking down at her lap. He didn't say a word as he came in and set the plate down on the bedside table.

He looked at her. "If that ain't enough, just let me know. Got plenty. Since I'm the only here, food ain't in no short supply." He nodded. He started to leave.

"…Thank you…"

He stopped and looked at her. It was the first thing he'd heard from her at all. He was going to make the same joke about her not talking he made for Monkey but decided against it. "Don't mention it. But thank yur friend. He did everything he had ta ta get ya."

She looked away. She still couldn't discuss the man who rescued her more times than she could count.

He looked her over. "He's worried about ya. He wants to know that ya're okay."

"…I'm… not sure what to say to him…"

"What do ya mean?"

"Well…"

"No, wait. Sorry. It's none-a my business."

Trip sighed. "…I just don't know what to say to him…"

"Start with thank you."

"It's not that easy."

"Then start with just talkin'. Worse thing about bein' out here is not sayin' somethin' to someone. Trust me, ya always regret the words not said more than the ones ya do that hurt."

His answer was so simple that it shocked Trip. She looked back at Clay. "Can you tell Monkey that I need to talk to him?"

"Sure thing." He headed for the door.

"And… thank you again…"

He smirked. "My pleasure." Clay walked back to the barn where Monkey was looking over his bike. "Hey, Monkey."

Monkey looked up.

"She wants to see ya."

Monkey let out a deep breath. "Okay."

He walked to the house and took a deep breath before he walked into the room, where Trip was still sitting up. They both locked eyes for only a second then they both looked away from each other. Closing the door behind him, the muscle man sat in the chair placed next to the bed and stared at the floor while the redheaded girl stared at the bed sheets.

It seemed like hours before either of them spoke. Monkey was going through all of the reasons why Trip would be afraid of him.

Trip, on the other hand, had things she needed to know. And, though the pain was great, she had to know. "Monkey…" Her voice was small, weak, almost like she wasn't there.

"Yeah?" He was a relieved to hear her speak.

"I… I have to ask you something."

"Alright."

"Did you… d-did you…" She sighed, holding back tears. "Did…"

He started to get even more worried. "What is it?"

She sighed. She blinked a few times then sighed. "Were you… in the Dreads?"

Monkey's eyes widened. He looked up at Trip. "What?"

She exhaled again. "Were you… in… the Dreads?"

One single thought came into his head at that question. '_Damn you straight to hell, Stern._' It was the only possible reason why Trip would ask that question. Stern told her. That bastard told her about what he used to do… when he was a much worse person. He looked away, exasperated. He was ashamed of the answer he was about to give… but he had to give it. Through everything, he never lied to Trip and, despite what would happen, whatever consequences he might endure… he wasn't going to start now. He groaned. "…Yeah…"

She was silently shocked. It took her a while until her mind was fully able to comprehend his answer. "You… did… what they did?"

He sighed. "Yeah."

Breathing regularly became a difficult task. "You… you stole… you… you killed…"

He said nothing. He had already given his answer… no matter how much he hated it.

She didn't believe it.

She couldn't believe it.

She was praying Stern was lying.

But there it was.

Monkey confirmed it.

He was a marauder. A thief. A murderer.

A monster.

A Dread.

Trip couldn't breathe. She could barely even think. "You… you…" She took a deep breath. "You… BASTARD!"

She jumped up out of bed and slapped him. As hard as she possibly could.

The contact of the slap hurt nowhere near as much as the act of her performing it did. Still, he couldn't deny he deserved. Monkey didn't say or do anything. She had every right to be angry. And he had no right to tell her not to be.

"You hurt people! You helped them kill people! You killed people! You robbed them! Isn't life hell enough out here?! Don't people have it bad enough?! You could've been helping all this time!" She shook her head, "But instead… you were with them… you were one of them…"

Monkey said nothing. That life… it hardly mattered to him anymore. But it meant everything to her.

"As strong as you are, as much skill as you have, THAT is how you USED IT! AS A MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU?!"

Words wouldn't matter right now. And he knew that. He said nothing.

"I don't know you. I don't even know you."

He figured nothing he said at this point would matter. But in one of the rare instances in his life… he felt like he had to talk. He looked up at her with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen on him, though that had no bearing on her at this point. "I'm not the man I was when I was one of them. A lot happened between me and them, between when we were friends and how we became enemies. I'm the not person they used to know… not even close. I'm the same man you met on that slave ship."

"Oh! The same guy who threatened to kill me?!"

He looked away. "I was mad, Trip. You know that."

She stopped. "So, what's to stop you from going back to that life?"

He stared up at her. "The fact that I haven't been a part of that life in so long… that I only remember it when they come around. The fact that I wanted to stay connected to you." He motioned toward the headband. "The fact that… I want to be here… for you… with you." He stopped. "The fact that I love you."

She stared at him. Monkey wasn't one to say that often. An aching feeling in her heart told her he was telling the truth. But… she couldn't accept it right now. She said nothing. She slowly left the room.

Monkey lowered his head, running his hands through his hair. He stuck his hands in his hair and took a tight grip on his skull. He closed his eyes, dealing with all of this. He wanted to scream, curse, and, for the first time since his parents died, cry. But he couldn't do any of that. That's when he knew this was bad, especially if he couldn't curse.

Stern.

That was what… or, rather, who was on his mind.

He started to think about Stern, Hammer, and Rod. How those same three people did what they always did: ruin his life. He thought about how if it weren't them… he and Trip would be far away somewhere where his past didn't matter. Where it would just be the two of them.

Where he would finally be able to put his horrid past behind him.

Where Trip would still love him and want to be with him.

Where he would still have Trip.

The more he thought about it… the more he became consumed with rage.

He stood up suddenly and walked straight for the door, throwing it open as he exited.

The sun was down and night had taken over. He must've been dwelling on his pain longer than he thought. But it didn't matter.

It seemed to a nice night. A peaceful night.

A good night to die.

The former Dread walked to the barn, putting himself in a mindset he hadn't had in over a decade.

He went straight for his bike.

Where he had gotten into the habit of thinking before taking a course of action, he didn't care anymore. He could only see one course of action now.

He hopped on the motorcycle and started it up.

Trip was on the far end of the farm when she heard the bike rev up. She looked up, "Monkey?" She saw the headlight come on. A second later, she witnessed Monkey race out of barn. "Monkey!"

Clay ran out from the house to see Monkey screech into the night. "Hey! HEY, KID!" He tried to run after him but Monkey was long gone, leaving nothing but a dust cloud. Clay stopped running and put his hands on hips, breathing hard. "Damn…"

Trip ran up to Clay. "What happened?"

Clay looked at her. "Ya tell me. He didn't say a word ta me. Didn't even know he was out there. Did you somethin' happen with you two?"

"We… we had a fight…"

The soldier didn't care about that but he did care about the direction of his new comrade. "So… what then? He just took off? Where's he goin'?"

She stopped as fear and worry washed over face. "Oh, no…"

With a total disregard for whether he lived or died in his thoughts, rage and perdition in his eyes, pain and hate in his heart, and revenge and blood on his mind, Monkey road the bike as hard as he could with one destination in mind:

Steel.

* * *

Uh... oh...

**Next Chapter: A Good Night To Die**

Monkey has nothing but revenge on his mind. And the Dreads are his target. What awaits in Steel for our wasteland hero?

You can't miss this.

REVIEWS!


	9. A Good Night To Die

Oh, here we go! Quick recap: Trip has berated Monkey about his past and now he looks to settle it! Now... he's racing towards Steel to do just that...

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**Chapter 9: A Good Night To Die**

Monkey drove as fast as he could to get to Steel. He made in their within 45 minutes, though for him it seemed a lot longer. He stopped the bike outside of town. He stood looking at it for a few seconds before putting the kickstand down and walking straight into the town. The thought of this being his last night alive was still firm in his mind. It was a suicide mission. He could get past Roadblock and Barricade and all of their boys without any problem but it was the big three that were the problem. Rod or Hammer or Stern would definitely kill him.

He didn't care anymore.

They ruined everything for him. He was happy for once in his life and had someone who loved him… and they took it all away. So, even if he died, it didn't matter.

Trip hated him.

He knew that now. If there was no reason to live before her, there was surely no reason to live now. So, if he died here, then so be it.

But was determined to take one of them with him.

He walked through town and stopped just before the gate to Stern's mansion, where security guards were standing by. The guards were about to say something when Monkey quickly extended his staff and blasted both with a plasma shot. He blasted the lock on the gate and walked in. A lot of shouting went on as grunts with pipes started to fill the courtyard. They all started to charge at Monkey but, within minutes, he viciously beat and broke all of them. Using his staff and just raw, animalistic strength and ferocity, he seemed more of a man possessed than a man ready to die. The battle didn't take much out of Monkey but he was breathing hard in anger and frustration. The fight just got his gears going and brought all the rage that was boiling under the surface screaming to the top.

And it was just beginning.

He was nowhere near close to being done. He needed something else to hit.

And his wishes seemed to be like the stars in the sky tonight: they were right there for him to see.

He looked at the house to see someone standing at the steps that lead to the door.

Short military cut.

Strong in appearance alone with his true power boiling under the surface.

Rod.

Monkey gritted his teeth.

The Dread lieutenant took notice of his defeated underlings. He leaned his head back to turn his nose up at Monkey and look down on him. "Hmph! Kid's play."

"Then come on," Monkey challenged. "Man up."

Rod smiled that weird, devious smile again. "You've got to realize that coming here is a suicide. You got your girl… you should've left it at that."

"I'm not afraid to die. Never have been. Just waited for it to happen when it was supposed to. Now… whatever."

Rod turned his head a little, narrowing his eyes. "Are you saying you don't plan on making it out of here?"

"I'm saying I don't give a damn whether I do or don't."

This is intrigued Rod. "I've never seen you gun-ho about dying, Monkey. What changed?"

The answer weighed heavy on Monkey, though he hid it well. His mind went to Trip… and how he no longer had her. He slowly shook his head. "Got nothin' to live for now." He stared at Rod, not really looking at him, though. "…I'm startin' to think… I never did."

Rod twirled his poles. "Damn right."

The Dread lieutenant ran down the steps and began to attack Monkey. He twirled his poles while he attacked, constantly swinging for Monkey's head. Monkey kept ducking underneath the strikes, waiting for the right moment to strike. He brought up his staff but Rod blocked it, trying to remove the staff from play. Rod tried throwing the staff but Monkey just flipped over Rod and kicked Rod in the back.

Rod stumbled back. He was surprised. That was one of the few times he could count that Monkey landed a solid blow on him. It even surprised Monkey. He remembered when he was younger and Rod did whatever he wanted to him. He was a lot skinnier and the soldier looking marauder was always built like a tank. When he saw him again, Monkey forgot that he was stronger now.

But no longer. This was a new day. Or night, rather. Monkey now knew he was stronger than he had ever been before. And, if he was going down, someone was going with him. And, right now, that someone was Rod.

And he had the power to take him down.

Monkey twirled staff before moving it behind him. He motioned to Rod with his free hand, "C'mon…"

Rod charged in. He went for every combination of attacks he knew but Monkey dodged them all. The Dread was stunned but he did everything he could to not make it seem that way. Monkey found it hard to believe himself that he could so easily dodge Rod. But that just fueled his confidence. When the golden opportunity presented itself, the white haired warrior didn't waste it. He buried his fist deep into Rod's gut. As hard as he could.

Rod couldn't believe it.

That punch was the single most painful he'd ever felt in his life. And it came from Monkey. What was going on? Rod tried to mount another offense but it was no use. Not only could he not get over the pain of the punch, he wasn't ready for the Monkey he was fighting tonight. This was a different Monkey he was facing tonight. A more focused, more dangerous Monkey. And deadlier than he had ever been before.

And Rod wasn't ready for it.

Eventually, Monkey knocked both of the poles from Rod and hit him hard enough in the right arm to leave it numb. Rod almost screamed in pain; he couldn't feel a thing in that arm anymore. He clutched at the arm but he couldn't even feel that. With his enemy distracted over his current injury, Monkey trapped Rod's left arm with his staff. Rod was staring to panic, his breathing coming out in short burst as he looked around for a way to break out of this hold. He quickly focused his eyes into Monkey, gritting his teeth.

The motorcycle rider just stared at Rod, cold and calculating. "Remember when you broke my arm at the Home when were little?" he calmly asked.

Before Rod could answer, Monkey jerked the bottom portion of his staff forward, dislocating Rod shoulder and shattering his forearm. Rod screamed in pain. Monkey head-butted him, catching him primarily with the headband, knocking him out. It easily cracked Rod's skull, even breaking the skin across his forehead leading him to bleed.

"Payback's a bitch."

Monkey let the unconscious marauder fall to the ground. He watched Rod fall and noticed that he was seething… and shaking a little.

He did it.

He just beat Rod.

Soundly, completely.

Totally.

Something he never… ever thought he'd do.

Then he remembered all the battles he'd been through since meeting Trip. The mechs… the endless number of mechs he'd taken down, even Dogs. And that Rhino thing.

But he wasn't a fool. This wasn't over yet. And it wouldn't get any easier.

He composed himself and went on about his vendetta. He walked toward the house. He burst through the door, taking care of a few more guards and followed the layout as best he could to find Stern and Hammer. He walked through the house, searching, fighting, and expecting to be taken out at any second. Eventually, he came to the door he remembered led to an office. He figured it must belong to Stern. He took a long, deep breath, exhaled, and kicked the door open.

Sitting on the desk, Hammer was shocked as the door flew open, causing her to jump to her feet. Stern, on the other hand, sat as cool and collected as Monkey had always known him to be.

"What the hell?!" Hammer shouted.

Monkey just stared daggers into both of them.

"You've got some damn nerve comin' he…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Monkey shouted.

For once, Hammer became frightened.

His voice, so animalistic. His eyes… even more so. This is the maddest she'd ever seen Monkey. She had no idea he could be so… terrifying. And that she would ever be afraid of him.

Stern showed no emotion. "No need to raise your voice, Monkey. We're all in the room."

He stepped forward. "I just wanna know…"

"Know what?"

Monkey was trying to control his rage but with no luck. "Why? Why do you keep doing this?! Why is it that EVERY TIME I GET SOMETHING GOOD, YOU COMING ALONG AND RUIN IT?!"

Stern was loving this. He finally got back inside Monkey's head. One of his favorite places to be. He cocked his head to the side then, feigning ignorance, said, "I'm sorry. What is this about?"

The white haired man knew Stern was well aware what this was about. But his rage was overriding him at this point. "You rat bastard," he breathed out, harshly. "Just tell me. Why'd ya tell Trip I was in the Dreads?"

Stern stared at Monkey for a moment, deciding on the best answer. "Girl needs to know who she's dealing with." He smirked. "Clearly… she didn't."

"I… am NOT… that guy anymore…"

Stern scowled. "Bullshit."

"You don't…"

"I know you… Monkey. I know you better than you know you. Like I knew you'd be back here." He shrugged, "You came back sooner than I thought, I'll give you that." He squinted his eyes. "Plus, you getting past Rod was a real shocker. You're mad, huh?"

With him distracted, Hammer pulled out a gun and fired but the bullet bounced off Monkey's shield.

"Shit…" Hammer growled.

Monkey charged at her but Stern leapt into action, revealing his weapon of choice: a Japanese katana. He moved with lightning speed, putting the blade to Monkey's throat before he could get close to Hammer.

Monkey growled, "You and that damn sword…"

"We can't all be as well versed with a staff as you, big guy." Stern motioned for Monkey to step back, which he did. Stern moved in front of Hammer, still aiming his sword at Monkey. "You wanna know why I told her?" he asked, gritting his teeth. "Because you out there ain't where you belong. You belong with us. You always have, Monkey. Ever since the attack on the Home. Remember?"

Monkey just stared into Stern's eyes. "One of the things I can't forget."

"We found each other again… after all that time, because when mechs took everything around us… we survived and all made it to find each other. No matter how many times it happened, we find each other again and come back stronger. We're better together."

Monkey sighed. "We were good… back then." He slowly shook his head, "But I can't do this… I can't do it anymore, Stern… keeping other people down… stealing… killing… just to keep us up."

Stern's voice came out quieter. "Survival of the fittest. You know that."

"But it wasn't worth what we would do to people just so we could survive. That's why I left. I just couldn't do it anymore. And I won't ever do it again."

Stern was offended. "Because of that girl?"

Monkey nodded, "She's my main reason, now, yeah."

"What are the others? What you just said?"

"More than that…"

"Like what?"

Monkey opened his mouth to speak and sighed. He felt the need to confess this to him. Maybe because of their past friendship or because he still didn't think he was going to live to see the morning. Either way, he had to admit it. "Because I was sick of the blood on my hands… and not bein' able to sleep at night. It took me a couple of years for the blood to finally feel like it washed away… to finally sleep through an entire night."

Stern scoffed. "Well, if that's the case…" He tightened his grip on the sword. "I'll put you to sleep then."

He started slashing at Monkey with the sword, Hammer immediately ducking for cover. They dueled for a few minutes, both showing excellent mastery of their weapons but neither being able to gain a firm upper hand. They both fought until Stern kicked Monkey out of the window, sending down to the ground from second story of the house. Monkey groaned as he got to his feet knees, clutching his staff. He crawled on his hands and knees for a while, getting over the pain of the hard landing. It didn't help that the injuries he sustained just days ago at the hands of Rod were still stinging and some were getting worse from the fight. The injured wastelander saw Stern come around the corner of the house. Monkey quickly got to his feet and they resumed their struggle.

Staff to sword happened over and over again.

At one point, Monkey flipped over Stern and rolled on the ground. He brought the staff up for a plasma blast but Stern kicked the staff away and slashed Monkey's right arm then his left leg, causing Monkey to cry out in pain and slowing him down greatly. Stern got in a kick forceful enough to put him down for the moment.

Both men were breathing hard, Monkey on his back and Stern was taking a knee. Stern understood now why Rod lost. Monkey was focused tonight but nowhere near enough.

Stern stepped over Monkey, staring down at him.

"Last… chance…" the Dread leader warned.

The ex-Dread looked up at his former friend, defiance in his eyes and heart. "Go… to… hell…"

Stern grimaced. He brought his sword up, turned it upside down putting one hand on the butt of the handle with the tip of the blade aimed at Monkey's chest. In a devilish sounding voice, he declared, "You first…"

He thrust the blade down.

Monkey closed his eyes.

He was right.

It was a good night to die.

* * *

...

**Next Chapter: The Man Called Monkey**

Trip is going to learn all about the man she loves, including his reasons for being a marauder. But who will be telling her his story?


	10. The Man Called Monkey

Is this the end of Monkey? Find out that and more! So much more... as in... the history of Monkey.

Can't wait, right? Then let's go!

Time for Chapter 10!

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Man Called Monkey**

BOOM!

The deafening explosion sent Stern sailing through air and hard to the ground; the detonation occurred just outside the security wall of mansion, taking out part of it. With the explosion as a distraction, Monkey rolled to get his staff. He was still struggling with the pain from the window fall but he couldn't waste the opportunity. Whatever caused the big bang, it saved Monkey from Stern running him through with his sword. It wasn't for him to die tonight, after all it seemed. After clutching his staff, the expert climber got to his feet. Stern growled until a look of shock came over his face at something behind Monkey. The white haired man turned around to see Clay truck's barrowing through what was left of the wall and the gate.

"YAHOO!" the old soldier howled.

Even more surprising to Monkey…Trip was on his bike as it sat on the back of Clay's tow truck.

Clay pulled the truck to a stop and got out. While he ran into the fray, Trip secured Monkey's motorcycle and quickly ducked for cover. Clay charged at Stern who had his sword ready. The young tyrant swung at the old soldier until Clay brought his weapon of choice to block the attack: a metal baseball bat.

Clay smiled.

Stern's eyes got wide as he remembered the one thing about the scar faced soldier's bat that set if off from most weapons. "Oh, shi…" He didn't to get to finish before a rush of electricity surged through his body via the bat.

Clay hit Stern in the stomach then in the back, knocking him down. He was about to take the Dread commander out when bullets came whizzing by. He had a shield similar to Monkey's that reacted to the gun fire coming from the approaching Dreads. Clay pulled his own handgun and returned fire, retreating back to his truck to keep his shield from wearing down.

While gunfire went on around him, Monkey got to his feet and saw Stern get back to his.

They locked eyes on each others.

They both gritted their teeth.

They weren't done yet.

They ran at each other again. They clashed their weapons and their duel was renewed, completely ignoring the melee they were in the thick of. Despite bullets in every direction, the two former friends were locked in battle with one another. The world could've been ending around them and they wouldn't have noticed. Or cared. They were too focused on each other now, too focused on this fight, too focused on finishing this grudge once and for all. And nothing would break that focus for either of them.

"MONKEY!"

Save that.

Trip's scream distracted Monkey long enough to let Stern knock his staff back. The wastelander turned back around but just in time to have Stern stab him in the side of gut. At the wound connected, Monkey gasped.

"NO!" Trip screamed.

The wastelander groaned and blinked a few times. The wound wasn't very deep as Stern didn't have the power he would've liked to deal the blow he wanted to. Monkey forced himself off the blade, collapsing to the ground. Clay saw Monkey fall and knew this scuffle had to end. He pulled out a couple of grenades, pulled out the pins, and threw in different directions. The explosions gave Clay a chance to run for Monkey. The scavenger hit Stern in the gut with his bat, forcing the Dread back. He picked up Monkey, heaving him on his shoulder in an amazing motion, and got him to the truck with impressive speed and strength. He put him in the cab and climbed in.

Trip quickly put a piece of cloth over his wound. "Monkey! Monkey! Oh, God! Oh, my God!" He groaned as she pressed down on his wound to keep the blood from flowing too much. She looked at his wound and the blood pouring from it and started whispering, swiftly, "whatdidIdo? whatdidIdo?" She took a deep breath, "…whathaveIdone?" She spoke up, "Monkey, please! Please, don't die! Please! Please!"

Monkey could only groan.

"Hang on!" Clay shouted. He threw the engine into reverse and backed up. The Dreads were still firing on truck, only to find it quite bullet resistant. "I've had enough of you losers…" He pressed a button on his steering wheel, which activated the machine guns on the front of his truck. He killed a few Dreads while sending the rest running for cover. Clay kept backing up, crashing into various objects.

After hitting another shack, Trip looked at the soldier. "Aren't you gonna turn around?"

"Only after we're outta town," Clay replied. "Then… we'll have all the room we need."

He kept backing up, only to have a few Dreads on motorcycles be in hot pursuit. He kept it up until they were clear of the shacks that made up the more desolate part of town. Once they were just past the last shack, the grey haired soldier swung the steering wheel, forcing the behemoth truck into a wide turn. After throwing it into gear once they'd turned around, he drove as hard as he could across the sands. The Dreads were still behind then but Clay hit another button on his steering wheel, dropping more explosive charges that rolled along the ground before discharging, destroying more Dread vehicles, causing them brake off pursuit.

Clay grunted. "Losers…"

Trip kept pressing down on Monkey's wound, whispering to him to stay with her. He kept looking at her but the pain was great. He passed out.

Stern just stared at the truck as it drove off, seething like an animal and cursing every which way about the entire situation and vowing that Monkey was a dead man.

The group made it back to the farm almost as fast as they gotten to Steel. Clay was amazed that the truck could move that fast but he was grateful the "old bird," as he called it, held up. The old soldier demonstrated his strength again as he helped Trip get Monkey back to the spare room, bearing most of Monkey's weight. Once in the room, Clay laid Monkey on the bed and got to work tending to his wounds while Trip stood, nervously biting her nails. Monkey was conscious as the old soldier worked on his abrasions. Clay had already given Monkey another health vial shot but he had to stitch up the wound left by Stern's sword the old-fashioned way: with a needle and thread. While the pain was excruciating, Monkey's mind was elsewhere, blocking out all of the pain, with the little he did feel not meaning anything at all.

"Alright," the veteran said, pulling out and clipping the last stitch, "that should do it." He gathered his supplies. "Ya bet not move around too much for a couple-a days, at least. Ya went and reopened some-a yur old injuries, too."

Monkey laid quietly in the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"One more thing…" he gave the wastelander a commanding glare, even though Monkey wasn't looking at him, "ya try and do that again before yur healed, I'll kick yur ass so hard that Stern's sword will be the least painful thing that hits ya. Understand?"

Monkey said nothing.

Clay stood up, grabbed his medical case, and headed for the door. He looked at Trip, "Do yur best to keep him in bed. If he don't listen, call me. _I'll_ make him."

Trip nodded. "Thank you."

He nodded and left the room.

She sat in the chair that Clay was just occupying and looked at Monkey. He wouldn't look at her back.

"Why?" she asked. "Why'd you go?"

He remained silent.

"Come on, Monkey. Talk to me."

Still, nothing.

She became desperate. She was close to crying. "Please…"

He turned his face away. He didn't want… he couldn't look at her. He looked at the wall then closed his eyes. When she realized no words would be exchanged, Trip silently got up and left, electing to sleep in another room. The pain Monkey felt from fighting the Dreads was nothing compared to what was going between him and Trip. And, while every part of him told him to leave, he couldn't for some reason. He was mad at her and could very easily leave her with Clay but… he couldn't. All the same… he couldn't talk to her right now either.

The following morning, Trip walked back into Monkey's room to check on him, only to find Clay sitting next to Monkey's empty bed, picking up supplies and cleaning up the mattress.

"What… where is he?" Trip asked.

"Outside," Clay answered. "Came to check up on 'im to find 'im already up. His bike ain't gone so he didn't take off. Plus, I saw 'im walking around near the old tree on the hill earlier. One at the back o' the house."

Trip rubbed her arm, nervously. While she was glad he didn't leave, she didn't know how long until Monkey decided to take off. She hadn't given him reason to stay. To stay with her.

He sighed, "Damn boy's like an animal. Restless. Just wanders from place to place." He looked at her, "Or maybe… he's just a beast who lost his place."

That hit home for the village girl.

He sighed and started for the door, "Yep! Someone better help 'im find his place again. Because… ya know beasts like that… if they don't think they belong somewhere… they tend ta just… wander off."

Clay left, leaving the wheels in Trip's mind turning… just like he wanted.

The redheaded girl walked out to the field behind the main house and found the muscled out wastelander sitting on a boulder not too far from the old tree. His elbows were on his legs with his hands clasped and he was leaning forward with his head slightly bowed. He was calculating all that went wrong in the past few days… of course, the girl approaching right now fell into that category. Frankly, he still didn't want to talk to her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

"How are your wounds?"

Still no response.

"Monkey… are you okay?"

He still said nothing. He wanted her to go away.

Not sure why she was about to ask this since she didn't get an answer the first time, she did anyway. "Why did you go?"

He perked up a bit. He gave her a sideways glance. He remembered her asking the question before. And was just as surprised that she still had the nerve to ask.

"Please… tell me…"

His anger surged. "Why?" he asked, harshly.

"What?"

He looked at her, sitting up straight. "Why should I talk? Sounds like you got the whole story from Stern."

Guilt hit her like a ton of bricks. "Monkey, I'm…"

"I don't wanna hear it, Trip." As angry as he was, his voice was surprisingly calm and quiet. "You listen to the words of people you've never met before… and you treat me like shit… over who I used to be."

She couldn't argue. That was exactly what she did. And it was killing her.

"You wanna know why? Why I went after them? 'Cause I got no reason not to. I don't get anything, one way or the other. But, if I have to choose which I don't get, I'd rather get nothing killing Stern than the same nothing I always get when I keep running from him."

She blinked in surprise. "Running?"

He stopped. He didn't mean to let that slip but it was out there now. He sighed. "Yeah…"

"Please, tell me… what…"

"No," he interrupted her. "If he didn't tell you, then I sure as hell ain't gonna waste my breath. Not when you didn't even ask for my side. You didn't even ask why I was in the Dreads in the first place." It was amazing how calm he was. It was actually surprising him. "But I am gonna say this: I've been more loyal to you… than I ever was to them. Hell, than I ever was to anybody. Gone farther for you than I ever thought I would for anybody. And when you wanted to kill the people who killed your father, I didn't complain. I went with you, no complaining."

'_Oh, my God… that's exactly what you did…_' she thought.

"Yeah, I'm not some noble hero, some knight in shining armor. I have a shit past that even I hate happened. But none of that had anything to do with how I was to you." He was silent for a few seconds. "I've been damn good to you." Clasping his hands back together, he looked back at the horizon. He said his piece. He was done.

Trip stood in silence. She wanted to cry. She wanted to leave. But she didn't. She deserved Monkey being upset with her. She deserved his harsh words. He was right. She listened to Stern, a person she didn't know who let her get beaten, and ignored and berated Monkey, the man she loves who saved her life on countless occasions, over a story that she only heard one side of. Tears fell. "I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I am so sorry."

He said nothing.

She sat down on the grass, next to Monkey. "You're right… you're right about all of it…" She sighed. "It's just… when Stern told me you were in the Dreads and… all that you used to do…" She stopped. She sighed again as tears continued to fall. "I won't make an excuse for it. I screwed up." Her voice caught, "I… I let you down. Everything we've been through… and I let you down. And you… you've never let me down… not once."

He looked at her.

"I was mad when I had no right to be. And I took it out on you… But… but that doesn't mean that you don't have a reason to live…"

He sighed, sounding more like a loud grunt. "What does it mean, then, Trip?"

"It means I screwed up. It means that you went to go die because I wouldn't listen to your side. It means that, just because I was stupid doesn't mean you have nothing to live for… 'cause if you died… I'd lose the last person I have left…" She had to keep from breaking down, "…and the only man I've ever loved."

He huffed. "Still love me, huh?"

She had to keep from crying. "Never stopped. I never will."

He smirked at that. He couldn't help it. It was good to hear.

"So… please… please, tell me. I promise, I'll listen. Just, please… don't leave me again."

He didn't want to tell her… at first. He wasn't going to until he looked in her eyes then he could see it: she was terrified that he was going to leave again. He couldn't ignore it. He couldn't stay mad at her. He had to tell her. In doing so, he had to reopen wounds that hurt worse than the ones he had sustained in the past couple of days… but it was worth risking… for her.

"Remember when I told you may parents died in a mech attack?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Stern, Hammer, and Rod all lost their folks the same way. That kinda thing… forces you to grow up fast, to learn how to survive." He took a deep breath, though that was still slightly painful. "I was about 5 when my parents died. It must've been… about two more years before I made my way to the Home."

"The Home?"

"It was an orphanage. We all met there and got to know each other, found out we had the same story. The people there tried to teach us how to live but… living in the wild, you learn your own lessons."

"I can only imagine."

He sighed, "Yeah." He paused for a second. "While I was there, one of the guys I learned from, he… well, let's just say guys like Clay aren't rare as you might think. There are a lot of old guys who know how to protect themselves. And… I met him." He chuckled. "His name was Staff. The old guy was a good with a staff as I am… except better. Much better. He wasn't as good at climbing as I am, though. Taught me a few lessons… whether I wanted to learn them or not."

She giggled softly.

"Well… after about ten years… the mechs attacked the Home and we got separated. A couple of years later… we met up again. Stern and Hammer had formed the Dreads, as a way to… stick together. I joined, too. At the time… I was afraid of being alone."

Trip understood that better than anyone.

He gave her a glaring look, "That stays between us."

She nodded.

He sighed, "We're just a bunch of punks, angry at the world, and tryin' to stay alive. For years it worked." He scoffed, "It was a good idea at first… but what we did to stay alive… what we _told_ ourselves we _had_ to do to stay alive… is what made it impossible for me to sleep at night." He stopped to gather his thoughts again. "Well, time passed and one day I got separated from the rest during a mech squad jumping us and… I ran into Staff again. He was living in another community after the Home was burned down and took care of me. Taught me more lessons… and none of them fighting."

"What do you mean?"

"He told me that I could either stay on the path I was on… or find my own way that would change everything. I listened to him. I left the Dreads. That got me hated. That got me hunted. Luckily, they couldn't expand the man power to hunt me down like they wished they could… but, damn, if they didn't try."

"Wow."

"Yeah. The last time we duked it out… I ran into Barricade and he called that brother of his and Rod and they chased me for hours. I took a dive off the stretch of road we were on and knocked myself out."

That reminded Trip of a more recent maneuver he pulled when the Dreads caught her. "How brilliant of you." She smiled.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I was desperate. Whadda ya want? That's why Rod said he thought I was dead. They thought I was dead and I hadn't heard or even thought about 'em since. It's probably been like… 15 years or something like that since I heard about them last. I figured they thought I was dead and I wished they were. As long as we never saw each other, everything would work out."

And there it was. The truth. As honest as he could be… as he ever had been.

He looked over at the girl he loves, seeing a different look on her face. "Look, Trip… I'm not proud of who I used to be. I'm not proud of what I used to do. But… at the time, that was all I knew. It's not an excuse. I don't make excuses… but I'm sorry if not telling you all this hurt you. I thought the second you learned who I was…" He fell silent. "I just didn't wanna lose you."

She sat in silence, absorbing the weight of everything she was just told… and how incredibly difficult it was for Monkey to tell it. She slowly got up and sat down on the rock right next to him, leaving no space between them. She put her arms around Monkey's neck pulling him into a hug. He was stunned. He put his arm around her, though, wanting her to stay close, and thankful she wanted to be.

"Thank you…" Trip whispered.

"For what?"

"…Not turning me away… for telling me… It means… a lot that… I've earned your trust back. I won't betray it again… I promise." She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She still loved him. He had her back. The future seemed a little brighter now… for both of them.

* * *

Awwwwww! Happy couple! Happy couple!

Lol! Anyway, so Monkey and Trip are reunited... and it feels so good! I'm sorry! I couldn't resist that!

Oh, but don't worry! We're not done yet!

**Next Chapter: Coming Storm**

Monkey is still recovering from his rampage against the Dreads but so is Stern. The devilish commander has a plan... and he's about to invoke it against his enemy.

The Storm is brewing...

Be here for it!

REVIEWS!


	11. Coming Storm

LAST POST OF 2012! Let's end this on a good note!

Welcome back! Chapter 11 is here!

Recap: Monkey and Trip have talked and our favorite couple is back together. But... it's not over yet. The final showdown is coming. Let's get ready for it.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Coming Storm**

The following morning, Clay walked to Monkey's room to check on his wounds. He stopped just short of opening the door. He thought about it. '_I ain't seen either of them come out from here since their lil' talk… that means they're both still in there…_' He chuckled to himself. '_First time in twenty years I've had to knock on this door._' He knocked and got no answer. He waited for a few more seconds. '_Maybe I should come back later._' He waited a second more. Then smirked. '_Make that much later… Guess they had plenty to… discuss…_' He left them be, deciding to come back later.

Later that morning, Trip awoke in Monkey's arms, admittedly the way she wished to wake up for the rest of her life. She looked up at his sleeping face and saw he seemed just as strong as sleep as he did awake. After their heart to heart by the tree, the couple spent the entire getting closer than they ever had before. And being more in love than either of them realized they ever could be with someone else. Monkey, who never believed there was such a thing as true love, found it and even had it reaffirmed; and Trip, who never thought she'd feel at home anywhere again, found her home in Monkey's arms.

She took notice of the headband she, herself, fastened to him and how this journey started with them. The memories of their entire journey made her more emotional; she tightened her grip around his midsection. She was so grateful he was alive. Grateful he stayed. Grateful he forgave her. And forever grateful he still loved her.

Her mind then shifted to how close she almost lost him. Because she wouldn't listen to him. She almost lost him. He could've died. If it wasn't for Clay… he would have. The very thought brought tears to her eyes as she cried softly and caused her to snuggle up even closer to him.

He slowly woke up and looked down at her and saw her crying, immediately becoming concerned.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

She looked at him. "I…" Her voice caught in her throat, "…almost lost you…"

He sighed. He was hoping she wasn't still thinking about that. "Trip…"

"And I'm sorry. So sorry… please…"

"Trip, Trip," he, slowly and gently, took hold of her hand and looked her in the eye. "It's okay… it's all okay…"

"Monkey…"

"It's alright, Trip… It's okay… we're both here… we're both alive… it's all alright…"

She fell silent as she rested her head back on his chest. She started listening to his heartbeat again. It greatly calmed her down.

She kept looking down. "So… what happens now?"

Monkey shifted his eyes. It was a fair question. Unfortunately, he knew the answer.

And Clay would most likely be the one who would be paying the highest price.

Later in the afternoon, as Clay changed Monkey's bandages, the couple looked at the old warrior while he worked. He showed no sign of behaving any differently from how he had always been since they met him. He had even been cracking a few jokes about Monkey's rampage against the Dreads. While reacting as they both would, the couple remained silent. Mentally, though, they were panicking about what they had cost this self-sacrificing scavenger.

The wounded wastelander looked at the old soldier. "Do they know your truck?"

Clay smirked. "Yep."

"They know you live here?"

"Yep."

Monkey paused. He didn't direct his next words at Clay; he was just thinking out loud. "They're gonna come here," he whispered.

"Yep." Clay moved on to clean another wound.

"They'll want to get back at you for helping us," Trip added.

"Yep."

"They'll want your head," Monkey put it out, plainly.

Clay chuckled. "Tell 'em ta get in line."

Monkey and Trip were surprised to see Clay so nonchalant about the impending death hordes coming his way. He was so sure of himself. He wasn't making a big deal about the Dreads coming, he wasn't tossing them out, and he wasn't even mad about the fact that a war was approaching. He was still their ally, no strings attached.

Monkey was even more remorseful that the old soldier was taking all this in stride. "I don't say this kinda thing often but… I'm sorry, Clay. I brought them here."

Clay grunted. "They were comin' eventually. Not yur fault."

"But I brought them here faster. Put your life in danger."

The scar faced man chuckled. "Gimme a break, kid. These days? Filled with nothin' but danger. We live in a world full of it, whether mechs are workin' or not. And like I told ya… they come here, I'm ready." He looked at the stitches on Monkey's arm, "Plus, I'll be honest wit' ya…" he chuckled again. "I ain't against runnin' from a fight I know I ain't gonna win. He who lives and runs away and all that."

"Never pegged you for a man who retreated," Trip said.

"Only when I got to. How do ya think I wound here?" He chuckled. "'Sides… you gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em." He finished up his medical duties, "Alright! Ya seem alright ta me, kid. Ya heal up well."

"He had a great doctor," Trip smiled.

Clay smirked. "Or maybe he just had more of a reason to get better."

Monkey and Trip looked at each other and smiled.

"Whelp!" He slapped his thighs. "I'm gonna round up some emergency stock… just in case we get inta the thick of it and gotta make a run for it." He stood up.

"Clay…" Monkey said. "Thanks."

The old man smiled and nodded. "Don't mention it." He walked out of the door, heading to go pack his emergency provisions.

"Such a kind hearted man," Trip described.

"Ain't many of him around…" Monkey thought about it. "If any…"

The situation again came back to both of their minds. The Dreads were coming, that much was for sure. And they were coming to kill and destroy.

Trip looked at her boyfriend, "What have we done?"

"You didn't do anything." The wastelander sighed. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. "I did."

"You only went back after them after what I did." She sighed. "If I wasn't so stupid… so incredibly stupid…" She paused for a minute. "I cost this man his home."

She was ripping herself apart. He knew better. "I did. It's been a long time coming."

They could go around in circles a million times but they both knew the truth: they were both to blame. They knew it. The first person they had met in so long with no ulterior motive to helping them and they had just cost him everything he knew.

Monkey looked at the ground. "If they come here…" He looked back up at Trip. "I'll have to fight 'em."

"Monkey, you're still…"

"I know. Still healing. But I have to. I can't just let them take this man's home without a fight. Clay's the first nice guy I've met in forever."

Trip smiled. "What about Pigsy?"

He closed his eyes for a second, remembering that cretin. He exhaled harshly. He looked at her with an irritated glare. He couldn't believe she just said that.

"Kidding."

He shook his head. "Fight's coming. It's gonna be a rough one but I'm going to have to."

"I know." In that moment, the redhead made her own decision. "We'll both have to."

He looked at her confused. "'Both'?"

The tech genius opened her mouth then sighed. "I'm as much to blame for this as you are. I'm going to help you." She shrugged, "With more than just technical support."

This didn't sound like a good idea. "What do you know about fighting?"

She shrugged again, "I've watched you long enough. Besides, if that women, Hammer, can do it, then so can I."

Monkey chuckled. "Yeah. I'll bet you can."

"Just… I wish was actually able to use a weapon."

He shrugged. "Maybe Clay's got something."

"Let's ask him."

"But are you sure?"

Trip thought it over. She nodded, slowly. "Monkey… when my dad died… you had to fight your way through mechs to save me… hell, the whole reason this journey of ours even started… is because I can't do anything like you can on my own… Even when we went to get from the Dreads… I didn't save you… I caused that mess and I didn't save you… Clay did… everyone around me has to fight for me because… because… I'm so helpless… so afraid… so… pathetic…" She paused. She looked down at the ground. "…so weak…"

He had never heard Trip talk like this. It honestly worried him. "Trip…"

She looked him in the eyes with a look he'd never seen in her before. Power. "I'm tired of being weak… being the cause of everyone's problems and never able to help with the solution. I need to do this. Not just for you… or Clay… but for me, too." She paused for a second. "I have to do this."

She meant it. Every word. Monkey could easily see that. He moved to the edge of the bed. "Alright… let's go."

They both went to Clay, who was out in the garage prepping weapons and supplies on his truck, and told the elder man that they felt guilty about him having to go against the Dreads for them and they wanted to help defend his home against them.

"Ya do realize what yu're askin'?" the scavenger replied.

They both nodded.

"We need to do this, Clay," Monkey said.

"And I have to help," Trip said, confidently.

"It's we want."

The scarred man looked at his guests. People who wanted to fight, to defend anything were rare in this day and age. Loyalty was even rarer. He smirked. And his response was simple. "Let's grab us some tools, then."

The old soldier led Monkey and Trip to his armory so they could all be ready for the incoming army of mad men. The armory was in his bunker underneath the main house and looked more like a museum for ancient weaponry.

"Those punks are gonna come to my house… startin' trouble," the old man said. "We all need ta be ready."

"We will be," Monkey assured. "I won't let them destroy your home, Clay." He paused. "I owe you that much…"

The old soldier nodded. That meant a lot to him. It also told him that these two people were as upstanding as he originally thought. He scoffed, "Just wish we had the chance ta round us up some back-up."

"Back-up?" Trip asked.

"Yeah. LOT of folks hate Stern and his crew. Just cain't do nothin' about it. No chance to organize 'em all. And no one is brave enough ta lead the charge ta stand up to 'em."

That got Trip thinking. No one… not the case anymore.

"No time for that right now," Monkey spoke up, confirming what everyone thinking. "The fight's probably already on its way. Just gotta make do wit' what we got."

"Damn right." Clay stared at Trip, "Now, then, as far as weapons go… I think I got a little somethin' ya can handle, lil' lady."

Trip giggled. She liked Clay's speech pattern. It was so interesting… and funny.

Clay opened a drawer pulled out a pair of seemingly normal black gloves. "Got no idea what they used ta be called but I call 'em 'shock gloves.'" He fitted them on her hands, finding them to slip on perfectly. He scoffed. "Fits like a…" He stopped just short of making a joke older than him… or the farm. "…never mind." He turned them on, pressing small circuit on the inner wrist. A blue light ran through the grooves of the gloves' outer lining.

"Whoa…" Trip breathed out.

Monkey folded his arms. "It's a glove, Clay."

Clay chuckled. "Ain't you observant?"

Monkey rolled his eyes.

"Heck of a lot more helpful than ya think, though, I'll tell ya. Ya can short out a mech with those damn things." He stared at them. "Just, uh…" He looked back at Trip, "watch where ya aim 'em and what ya touch. Hmm? Knock myself for a whole day 'cause I forgot ta turn the damn things off once. And, I mean… once."

Trip laughed while Monkey shook his head.

The old soldier looked around again. "Now, then… for another lil' somethin' for ya…" He pulled down a crossbow. "This is about yur speed, Trip."

"What is it?" Trip asked.

"It's an old-style crossbow but modified. Got a whole lot of fancy thing-a-ma-jigs you'll just love. It doesn't have a lot of repetition to it but it's useful, let me tell ya. Got days… hell, months worth of arrows you can use wit' it."

"Oh. Thank you."

"You sure this is okay?" Monkey asked. "This is gonna be a war. They'll rip this place apart. Or try to."

Clay grunted. "Never get too attached to things. People? That's fine. The right person is always worth defendin' and fightin' for. Not things. Not places." He looked at the armory. "Let's get ready."

"Just hope we can be prepared in time," Trip said.

"We better be. Since they're already loadin' up." He paused, looking up at ceiling, seemingly deep in meditation. "I can almost hear 'em loadin' up their guns. Those punks are on their way. I can already hear the engines… feel the tires in the sand. It's like a damn thunderstorm… just over the horizon… where ya can't see it… but ya sure as hell can hear it. Ya hear it? Ya feel it?"

"Yeah…" Monkey breathed out. Trip and Clay looked at him as he stared off into space. "Yeah, I can feel it… Stern's losin' his cool, Hammer's goin' off… Rod's probably still down but… yeah. They'll need time to gather everyone they can get for now but… they're coming."

They all paused.

"They'll be here soon."

The following morning, just as the sun was rising over Steel, Roadblock and Barricade drove into town with other Dreads, pulling a large metal box behind Barricade's truck, to see the destruction after Monkey's assault on the Dreads compound. They drove to the mansion and saw Stern and Hammer standing with less than pleased looks on their faces, surveying the destruction and repairs.

"Uhhh…" Barricade said, "what happened?"

Hammer growled. "WHAT DO YOU THINK, DUMBASS?!"

Both brothers took a step back.

"Did you find him?" Stern asked. He was angrier than usual. And, for once, his voice gave that away.

"Y-Yeah…" Roadblock replied. "In the box."

Stern walked over and looked at the metal box. Two of the Dreads were guarding it. "Open it."

The Dreads nodded then proceeded to do as ordered. They unlocked the metal box and opened the door. Inside, sat a man with long brown, thin hair and a full beard. He was starting to go grey. He wore tattered brown clothes, his skin was pale and cracked, and his nail jagged and rough and broken off in some areas. His facial features, with the pointed nose and ears, almost made him seem more demon than man. His skin was so pale that it was almost impossible to tell last time he saw daylight.

Stern chuckled. "I see prison has made you look better."

The man was quiet.

"So, anyway, I know heard it was time to play. But I didn't tell you who your playmate is."

The man sat motionless.

"Monkey."

Suddenly, an evil, creepy smile immediately shot across the man's lips. He laughed a nasal chortle. "Oh, Sterrrrrrrrrrn…" he turned his eyes toward the evil commander, "you always did know how to make… me… smile…"

* * *

So, now, you have met Wild Rider. And he seems to be as evil as Stern. What's next? Come back next year and find out.

(No one freak out! That's just a little joke there since I'm posting this on New Year's Eve.)

**Next Chapter: Joker's Wild**

Wild Rider is bringing the Dreads to Clay's farm to end Monkey and his allies once and for all. But Monkey and Clay and even Trip are ready for the fight.

The storm has arrived...

You won't wanna miss it!

Reviews!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	12. Joker's Wild

It's Time! It's TIME! IT'S VADER TIME! ...Umm... okay... it's not THAT time but it IS time for CHAPTER 12! lol.

Okay, folks, we're getting close to the end but I hope you enjoy the ride along the way. I know I have so far.

Quick recap: Stern is about to set loose a man named Wild Rider on Monkey, Trip, and Clay. And they are ready for the fight!

...at least... they better be...

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Joker's Wild**

Monkey was in the barn, leaning against his bike. He was mentally readying himself for the coming battles; but, in doing so, he started to reminisce about the past and how he arrived to where he was now. He remembered his time in the Home, when Stern was his best friend and thought how far they had both come. He never considered himself better than Stern but Monkey knew this had to come to an end.

One of them was about to die… and he knew it.

The only thing the wastelander had to control… _needed_ to make sure he could control, with everything he had, was who.

"Hey."

He looked up to see Trip, standing with her hand against the door frame. With the horrible period of anger and tension behind them, they had gone back to just being with each other. But it was so much different now. She looked different to him: stronger somehow. More… mature. And Monkey realized something else when she came around: no matter how bad things were… she managed to make everything seem okay just by being nearby. For Trip, she didn't just see the man she enslaved, the man who protected her, and the man she loved; she saw the man who had been through so much hell and was still willing to give love a chance. He shut himself off from the world… but let her in his. Just her. Only her. It made her appreciate it… appreciate him… even more so. And no matter how dire the situation, if she was near him, she knew everything would be alright.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I… I will be." He couldn't lie to her. "Just… not for a while."

She leaned against the bike next to him, her arm brushing against his.

"What do you…" She looked at the ground then straight ahead. "…think Stern's gonna do?"

He stood silent for a second, thinking about his answer. There were too many possibilities… and all of them were terrible.

At his silence, Trip looked at him and nodded. "I get it." She looked ahead again. "This is bad."

He was silent for a few more seconds. "Bastard used to be my friend."

She looked down again then back straight ahead. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He straightened up a little, "It was bound to happen. It was only going to end if one of us died."

That scared her. The thought of Monkey dead was the absolute last thing in the world she could ever want to happen. After almost losing him before… she'd rather go first. She started moving her foot around, making a circle in the dirt. "Can you do me a favor?"

He looked at her. "Sure."

She looked up at him with sad eyes, tears were welling up. "Please… don't… don't talk about you dying… please…"

He scared her. He didn't mean to. He wasn't going to do it again. He nodded.

In Steel, Stern had just given his Dreads a speech to his army. There were only about forty or so men but Wild Rider was getting anxious and that were as many as available at that moment. The commander's speech was about how no one steals from the Dreads, no one attacks the Dreads, and no one disrespects the Dreads. He declared Monkey was guilty of all three. He announced that if the Dreads were to survive… Monkey had to die. Half of the Dreads didn't care about killing him, the other half were more than happy to.

They just wanted blood. They hardly cared whose it was.

Following his speech, the Dread leader looked at Wild Rider and nodded. The insane criminal smiled and got to his vehicle of choice: a motorcycle.

Rider hopped on the motorcycle and bounced up and down lightly on the seat. "Oooh! Good action."

Stern and Hammer walked up to the madman. Due to his insanity and unpredictability, even by Dread standards, Hammer hated the idea of Wild Rider being anywhere near her but, if it meant taking Monkey out, she could bear with it. For a while. Stern didn't care one way or the other; Wild Rider was good at what he did.

"Remember what to do?" Stern asked Rider.

Rider chuckled. "Stern!" He jumped off of the bike. "You wound me! Of course I remember… I rip Monkey apart… slowly… painfully…" He laughed, "amusingly… And then come right back here. I understand…" he slowly… frighteningly spoke the last word, "…perrrrrrfectly."

"Just go already!" Hammer shouted, her skin crawling at Rider's very presence, let alone his words and tone. "Creep…" she whispered.

Rider laughed again. He bowed, mockingly, "As you wish, dear lady." The psychopath hopped on his bike and revved it up. "Sounds beautiful…" He looked at the evil couple, "…don't you agree?"

Creeped out beyond reason, Hammer turned around walked past Stern, whispering, "This better work."

Stern was silent. But he completely agreed.

Hours later, at the farm, Clay fixed dinner the group and they sat down in the kitchen and ate. It was a touching scene as they made a kind of family unit. Trip was actually enjoying it very much; having lost her family so recently, it was good to be in a family situation, if only somewhat. Clay enjoyed having the company; it had been a long time since he had the pleasure of friends and of people worth defending. While he didn't so much love the situation, Monkey certainly didn't mind it. He never really knew what it was like to have a family, not even really at the Home, so, he never really cared much if he ever had one… but he did love the idea of staying with Trip and, if he could make a family with her, that would be just fine.

After dinner, Clay was sitting outside in an old rocking chair. He had on his old, brown cowboy hat that, for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he got it from. The sun was just out sight and the darkness was setting in. It was peaceful. The old scavenger enjoyed the cool of the evening and the serenity of it.

But he wasn't fooled.

This was the calm before the storm. After a half hour of sitting outside, the storm was on its way. Due to the absolute silence of the area, he could hear it easily.

Engines running in the distance.

He looked up, past the brim of his hat, and took a deep breath. "Here we go…" He got up to go warn Monkey and Trip.

Minutes later, the 20-plus vehicles of the Dreads, carrying a total of forty marauders, were in viewing distance of the farm about five miles out, just outside of the sensors of Clay's automated defenses. Pulling his bike just ahead of the pack, Wild Rider sneered as he looked down at the old farm. "Oh, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey… it's been too long. I really hope you haven't forgotten all about me." He revved up his bike. "Let's make this quick, boys! I really want to skin that bastard alive."

With bloodlust filled whooping and hollering, the Dreads rode their vehicles down to the farm and, immediately, the automated defenses turned on immediately. The machine guns activated and took out five Dread vehicles before they made it twenty more feet.

Once the guns opened fire, Monkey, Trip, and Clay ran outside. They saw the Dreads, trying to drive around the defenses to make it to the main house.

The fight had arrived.

"Alright," Clay said. He looked at the girl as she held the crossbow. "Trip, just aim carefully. Use them gloves just like I showed ya, 'case them bastards get too close. Hopefully, we can keep 'em from doin' that. I'm goin' ta the barn near my truck 'case we gotta get outta here quick. I'll pick 'em off from there. Monkey…"

They both looked at the old soldier.

Smirking, he scoffed. "Have fun."

Monkey chuckled as Trip laughed. Clay hurried to his truck and Monkey was about to rush out before Trip grabbed him by the arm. She pulled the muscle man in for a kiss. After the kiss, they paused and stared at each other. She nodded at him and he rushed on to the battlefield while Trip stood with the crossbow. She took a few deep breaths like Clay told her to and got ready to fire. She was praying she didn't have to use it at all. But if she did, she prayed that she wouldn't hit Monkey.

The battle got into full intensity as Clay, armed with a long rifle and using the barn for cover, started to take out the Dreads who managed to get passed the auto-guns. The old soldier managed to pick off a few of the drivers of the vehicles while some of the passengers who weren't injured too badly, if at all, from the crashes, used the wreckages as cover to open fire on the farm residents. Monkey managed to pick off a few of them with plasma shots from his staff, attacking them whenever they got too close, blasting a couple and beating the rest into submission.

After Wild Rider got past the automated defenses and Clay's gunfire, Monkey rushed to meet him, not knowing his identity yet. Rider drove the bike around Monkey and brought it to a stop. Once they locked eyes, it shocked Monkey to no end to see the man he thought he killed, smiling at him, evilly.

Monkey's eyes widened as his blood ran cold. "Rider…"

Rider chuckled. "Monkey." He revved up the bike and steered it at Monkey.

The muscle man jumped out of the way. Rider came back around. In the instant he had before having to dodge Rider crashing into him, Monkey remembered how they met.

Wild Rider is just as insane as his name suggests… but 10 times more so. He was known for terrorizing town after town, community after community, committing various heinous, unspeakable acts before disappearing again. He ran into Monkey once, after the madman had just killed a man in another community. After being offered food and supplies to catch or kill the criminal, Monkey accepted the task to hunting Rider down.

And hunt him down he did.

They chased each other around a mountain side, both men putting their motorcycle skills to the test. They came to an extremely sharp turn on the steep mountain road where they crashed against one another, parts of their bikes locked against one another; their bikes being wedged together threatened to send both careening to their demise. Monkey's only saving grace was that he hit the brake at a crucial moment, dislodging his bike from Rider's. The force was enough to send the psychopath's bike crashing into the mountain wall.

And Rider flying off the side off of a cliff.

With such a fall, Monkey believed him dead and never gave him another thought. But Wild Rider… never forgot about the man who almost killed him.

Unbeknownst to Monkey, Rider survived and was found by Stern and the Dreads, who learned about the psychotic, and his ties to their former ally, and decided to nurse him back to health and recruit him for their crew. The problem was… they found him to be impossible to control. They would send him to kill one target… and more than they could count would end up dead. He was far too good at what he did. They had him locked down, not wanting to kill him because they were times he could be useful. But he was bound far from Steel as Hammer wanted him nowhere near her.

After his quick flashback, Monkey rolled out of the way of Rider's motorcycle again. He extended his staff, switched it over to the electric charge, and fired. It shorted out the bike, causing Rider to just let it fall after he stepped away from it.

Rider walked up to his enemy, smiling the sick, demented smile the entire time. "Oh… how I've waited for this!"

"Yeah… I'll bet…" Monkey growled. How did Stern manage to find everyone from his past who ever pissed him off? Then, he remembered: it was because Stern topped that list.

Rider ran at Monkey. He performed a cartwheel then a backflip and a flip-twirl. Using the momentum, he went into a kick that Monkey just barely managed to dodge. Rider started swinging his fists wildly, adding kicks and flips where necessary but Monkey managed to stay a step ahead of him, but it was all the wasteland hero could do to stay out of the madman's reach. Monkey knew Rider's fighting style all too well. He also knew how sick an individual Rider was… and he couldn't let him get a hit in, see pain, or smell blood or Rider would be even more dangerous.

He was an animal that way. A wounded prey… and his senses would kick into overdrive.

Rider lived for that kind of thing.

And that made him even more dangerous than Stern.

Monkey dodged another attack and answered with striking Rider across his face with the staff. Rider was thrown off balance for a second as he rolled away. Monkey had to follow up. Rider was known for quick recoveries, primarily, most figured, due to his insanity. Rider tried striking using those jagged, deformed fingernails of his to draw blood. Monkey moved around his swipe and hit him as hard as he could on Rider upper back, across the shoulders. Rider stumbled, laughing all the while.

Rider a few more laughs out, "So… Monkey… I hear you gotta girl…" He chuckled again, "It's gonna be so fun to hear her scream while I kill her."

Monkey roared at him. "You're not going NEAR her, you sick son-of-a-bitch!"

Rider chuckled. "Oooh, touchy! She must mean soooooooo much to you." He laughed. "Even better…"

Monkey gritted his teeth.

The insane criminal charged at the wastelander again, resuming the duel.

Near the house, Trip stood holding the crossbow, being very thankful she didn't have to fire it yet. She didn't even like holding it. It was way too dangerous. She saw a few Dreads, rolling in their car and hollering. They were coming in fast. Whether she was ready or not, she had to act. No turning back now, no Monkey to rely on and, absolutely, no running and hiding… she had to do this. The arrows Clay gave her were tipped with a detonator charge, perfect for taking mechs or, in this case, vehicles. Trip steadied her breathing, as quickly as she could, took aim and fired. The arrow connected and, seconds later, it detonated setting the vehicle ablaze.

After the car crashed, the Dreads got out barely moving then fell dead afterwards. Trip stared at her fallen opponents in disbelief.

She just did that.

She looked at the crossbow, examining it thoroughly and realizing it was the first time she'd ever done something like this. She just fired a weapon, just blown up a car, and killed two Dreads by herself.

Without Monkey.

Without anyone.

And it felt…

…really good.

She never felt so strong. Or more in control of herself.

She took a few deep, staggered breaths, composing herself. She heard another vehicle approach. She looked up… with a very different look in her eyes. The eyes of someone about to fight. She was ready this time. Now more than ever.

The war on the farm lasted a few more minutes with the Dreads numbers, slowly but surely, dwindling down until only about eight were left standing. Two of the Dreads got to one of the couple of vehicles that was still in working condition and got it ready to retreat. Clay fired again and took out a two other Dreads. The remaining few decided to cut their losses and try to make it out of there alive.

But they had to at least fight it out while running away. Stern was probably going to kill them anyway, so, they could, at least, try to and take someone out with them. One of them readied a grenade.

Monkey and Rider were still battling out nearby when they heard an explosion near the barn. After the smoke started to clear, Monkey looked and saw Clay groaning on the ground with a wound in his shoulder. He couldn't see it but the scarred man also had a piece of shrapnel suck in his leg.

Rider laughed, "It would seem you're about to lose a friend."

Monkey roared and punched Rider in the face. He tried to recover but Monkey punched him again. Monkey was going in for another shot but Rider revealed he had a knife on him. He tried to slice Monkey but the wastelander dodged just in time, having to fall then scramble along the ground.

Rider laughed. "I'd forgotten how quick you are, Monkey."

Monkey got back to his feet but Rider was on top of him almost immediately. The wastelander got his staff up just in time to save himself from being slashed in the neck. Rider picked up speed with his attacks and managed to give Monkey a slash across the chest. Monkey stumbled back, clutching his wound. It wasn't a deep wound, at all, but there was blood.

Rider… actually licked his lips. "Red…" He sneered, "Couldn't remember, for the life of me, what color you bled." He flipped his knife over. "I wanna see more…" He leapt at his adversary.

Monkey rolled backward, kicking Rider off of him the second he was close, then kipped back up to his feet. Rider tucked and rolled and got back up. He ran at the wastelander and tried going for a straight stab to his heart. Monkey blocked him and headbutted him, making good use of the headband. The blow was more than enough to shatter Rider's nose. But that barely even slowed the psychotic down. Rider took a step back and followed up with a punch then a kick then a jumping knee to Monkey's jaw. He then swept Monkey's legs out from under him. As soon as Monkey hit the ground, Rider's foot was on his neck.

Monkey looked up at his enemy and gritted his teeth.

Rider laughed. "I don't think I'm gonna miss this time…" He readied his knife… aimed at Monkey's face. "…Time to mess up that pretty little face of yours, big man…"

Monkey was about to make a move… ANY move… when he heard someone yell, "HEY!"

They both looked to see Trip standing tall, holding her crossbow.

"Get the hell away from my man!" the redhead threatened.

Rider just laughed. "And, what are you gonna do, little…"

He didn't get to finish.

Trip fired her crossbow and it flew directly into Rider's chest, taking off of his feet and making him fly an easy ten feet.

When he landed, the psychotic looked at the arrow in shock, his mouth wide open. He looked at Trip, "You… little… bitc…"

The arrow detonated, blowing Rider to pieces.

Monkey and Trip covered their faces from the debris. Monkey looked at the spot where Rider was. There was no question about it: Wild Rider was dead now. He looked back at his girlfriend as she stood triumphantly holding her crossbow, the wind was blowing strands of her hair in front of her face. She never looked more attractive… beautiful… or sexier than she did right now.

What was left of the Dreads retreated, gathering the closest comrades they could. The rest of the Dreads weren't getting up any time soon… if at all. Out of the forty that charged in, only four were leaving and two of them not under their own power.

With the fight won, Monkey and Trip got Clay inside the house to quickly patch up his wounds from the war.

Clay groaned as Monkey laid him on the bed. He roared in pain, "Damn sons-a-bitches! I'M GONNA KILL THAT STERN, THAT LIL' SOM' BITCH!"

"Calm down, will ya!" Monkey said. "Trip, give 'im a serum."

"Right," Trip already had the vial ready. She injected Clay and his pain subsided immediately.

"WHOO!" Clay shouted. "That's some good stuff, right there…"

Trip laughed while Monkey smiled, shaking his head.

The redhead pulled the shrapnel out, which caused Clay to grit his teeth but otherwise he was fine. She grabbed some gauze and wrapped up the old man's wounds, him groaning all the while. As she was wrapping, the old soldier, suddenly, started laughing.

"Alright, what's wrong with you, now?" Monkey asked.

He smirked. "We just kicked the crap outta the Dreads. Just tha three of us! I'm happy, kid."

Trip stared at Clay then at Monkey, in disbelief. "Yeah… we did."

Clay looked at Monkey, "Hey… what happened ta that fella you were fightin'?"

Monkey looked at Trip and smirked. "He's outta the picture. _Definitely_… outta the picure." He looked at Clay. "One less demon."

Clay smirked. "Good. Levels the playin' field then."

"So, what comes next?" Trip asked.

Monkey took a deep breath exhaled. He wasn't sure.

He went outside. He looked at his own wounds and realized they were nowhere near worse off than he was the last time he faced the Dreads just days ago. In fact, he was much better off. It inspired him. He survived this round because he fought them smarter than he ever had before. This time… he had a reason to fight. To stay alive. And he had a reason to fight smart. He managed to drive them back but it would only make Stern angrier.

Stern would come back. With more goons. More weapons. And he wouldn't stop. Ever. And that couldn't happen.

Monkey knew there was only one way to stop this.

He had to go back to Steel.

He had to end this.

And this time… he knew he could.

"I know what you're thinking."

Trip's voice caused Monkey to turn and look at her.

"Trip…" Monkey started to say.

"I know what you're thinking…" she interrupted, "and you're right. You need to go back… you need to end this… but you're not going to do it alone."

"Trip, I…"

She suddenly kissed him. After their kiss, she kept her hand on the side of his face. "I'm going with you."

* * *

Alright. Rider is dead. The Dreads have been handed a sound defeat and the war is not over yet.

We're getting close to end, folks. But who will be left standing?

**Next Chapter: Bitter Enemies, Deadly Wars**

The Dreads are preparing for battle. So are Monkey and Trip. But Trip has an idea that will, not only enable them to face the Dreads head on, but level the playing field.

The final battle is about to begin...

Be here for it.


	13. Bitter Enemies, Deadly Wars

Alright everyone! We're getting close to the end! Sorry for the delay but life has been a little crazy lately! But, I've got you covered! Chapter 13 is here! Just one more after this then the Epilogue.

The war is here and the final fight has begun.

Who will be left standing at the end of it all? Read and see!

* * *

**Chapter 13: Bitter Enemies, Deadly Wars**

The Dread commanders watched as the remnants of the assault force they sent to the farm pulled into the mansion yard, with only one vehicle, clearly shot up and barely running, and only a fraction as many Dreads as they left with; four of the forty to be exact. The news of Wild Rider's demise was particularly distressing for the criminals.

Stern… was less than pleased. With his rage slowly building, he went to retrieve his sword, which was in his office. Hammer followed him.

"What now?" Hammer asked.

"He's coming," Stern answered. They entered his office and he grabbed his sword. He studied it, getting ready for the fight at hand. No… not a fight. This was war. He looked at his girlfriend, "Get whoever isn't too hurt or dead and tell them to get their asses here. As a matter of fact, I don't give a damn how hurt they are. Just get 'em here! I want this place turned into a damn fortress… now! We need to be ready by the time he gets. And when they see Monkey… shoot to kill."

Hammer wasn't used to this side of Stern. He was… unnerved. Even bordering on irrational. "What makes you think he's coming now?"

"Because he survived Wild Rider…" He paused, "…even killed him." That was still a shocker. "Because his confidence is up… and from what I heard, the girl is helping him."

Hammer scoffed. "That little bitch? No way. Not after I roughed her up."

"Maybe you roughed her up too much," he said in a low tone.

She spit. "Not a chance. I'll put her in her place again."

"Careful she doesn't put you in yours."

She became offended by this statement. She stared at her boyfriend, indignantly. "You don't think I can beat her? That little girl? Seriously?"

"What I think doesn't matter. All that matters what they are going to do when they get here and what we need to do when they do."

She scoffed and waved him off. "Don't worry. I can handle my end."

"You better."

His tone and body language were different. Hammer could see it. Stern wasn't just unnerved… he was shaken to his very core over Monkey's impending arrival. But she thought little of it. After all, he'd likely come charging in like before and get himself killed.

What was there to be afraid of?

Monkey is so stupid and brutish, Hammer thought to herself. There was nothing to fear. Nothing at all.

Hours later, a few more Dreads entered into the city while Steel was busy being fortified. And Stern wasn't taking any chances: he was starting to add extra armaments to the vehicles and was having a shabby wall being put up around the city with his soldiers on the other side armed to the teeth and having guards on constant watch to be on the lookout for danger. It seemed the perfect way to go since Monkey had been there before.

What the Dreads were unaware of was that Trip's dragonfly was flying over Steel, scanning it as the wasteland couple was getting an estimate of the situation. They stood in a nearby ravine, with Monkey leaning against his bike his arms folded, as the dragonfly finished its scan.

"It looks like they're getting ready for war," Trip deduced. "You were right. Stern's expecting us."

He huffed. "Figures. He doesn't like losing. Especially when I cause a loss."

"Guess he figured you'd follow up."

He sighed. "So, what's the plan?"

She kept looking at the image the dragonfly was sending, analyzing the situation. She sent a signal for the dragonfly to come back and closed the screen. She walked over, leaned on the bike next to Monkey, and exhaled. "Well, we have the element of surprise and we can move around them easier. And, despite the wall and the guns, they can't plan worth a damn."

Monkey chuckled. He liked this emerging side of Trip.

"They're big and stupid and think they can solve every problem by throwing every _body_ they can at it."

"Until you corner Stern and Hammer," Monkey grumbled.

"Until you corner Stern and Hammer," his girlfriend agreed.

The large wastelander sighed. He looked around and tried to think. "We need to take the rest of 'em out then we can deal with those two."

"Sound thinking." The dragonfly returned to went back into its position as a hair fixture for Trip.

"It's just how we're going to get the rest of them that bothers me. Stern and Hammer, I can take. And I'm sure Rod ain't gonna be a problem. It's everything else that's gonna take some work. I mean, they're turnin' Steel into a damn fortress. We're not gonna break in there without either a damn good plan or a shit ton o' weapons."

The light bulb clicked on in Trip's mind. Her eyebrows shot up. She smiled. "Or help."

Monkey looked at her, confused. "Whadda ya mean?"

"Let's go back to the farm. Something Clay said. I have an idea."

He had no idea what her plan was… but, if Trip had a plan, it was a good one.

The next three days came and went and the morning of the fourth day just rising on Steel. The town had been heavily fortified with every Dread that could possibly be found being called in to guard the town from the impending onslaught. The wall was reinforced, even taking pieces from the old useless vehicles and even some of the homes in Steel, with guards on constant patrol.

At the mansion, the Dread commanders were outside, looking at the town and the horizon. The trucker twins stood, uneasy; these past few days were nerve wracking. Hammer was pacing back and forth while Stern sat on one of the steps, his hands clasped. He didn't know how… but he felt today… this morning was different.

It was going to happen today.

Stern thought it might be overkill or paranoia with all of the extra added security to Steel but he knew better than to ever underestimate Monkey again. With the defeat of Wild Rider, the confidence of his former compatriot would definitely be up… and for good reason. Stern knew he had to put Monkey down and hard if he wanted to survive this. The Dread leader wanted his former friend's head and he was going to get it… even if every one of his Dreads had to die for that to happen.

"Somethin' on the sand!" one of the Dreads on watch shouted out.

The evil leaders all took notice of the vehicle they saw heading their way. They knew only a small number of Dreads were still due into Steel but there shouldn't have been anymore coming so soon. Stern looked through his binoculars and saw that it was just one vehicle…

At first.

Then more appeared. Then more.

With so many of his henchmen already in Steel, Stern knew that there shouldn't be that many more coming, especially in such a large group.

It was then he realized…

…the vehicles coming didn't belong to any Dreads.

They were coming _for_ the Dreads.

There was no doubt about it.

This was a declaration of war. The one he was expecting. But… he never expected it like this.

By the time their enemies stopped appearing over the horizon, there were easily over three dozen vehicles of all makes and models coming directly for Steel. And they were just as ready for war as the Dreads, if not more so.

And, when Stern looked closer through his binoculars, he saw it was Monkey and Trip, on his ride, leading the charge.

Trip's plan was going back to when Clay mentioned about people the Dreads had wronged. Clay didn't know all of them but he did know of a man in a town not too far from the farm. After going there, the couple learned from others what crimes the Dreads had committed and let people know that they were going to take the Dreads down.

It was music to the ears of all who hated those marauders.

All it took was Monkey and Trip going to five towns in the span of a day and the word was spread from there like wildfire. With the Dreads being the lawless gangsters they are, each warrior was someone who had a particular grudge against the Dreads for one reason for another. From everything ranging from random thefts to murder to men and women who simply wanted the Dreads gone because they were irritating rabble rousers, there was no shortage of foes to face down the marauder gang this morning. By last night, there were more than fifty men and women with weapons o' plenty and over three dozen vehicles ready to go to Steel and end the menace of the Dreads once and for all.

And that fervor still burned just as bright as the sun rising in the sky.

"Son… of… a… bitch…" Stern groaned.

Hammer took the specs. "It's like he got everybody we ever pissed off, babe!"

"And only Monkey could pull some shit like that off…" Stern growled, "Damn him…" He shouted out orders to his people, "EVERYONE! SHOOT TO KILL! GET IN YOUR CARS! KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM ALL!"

All the Dreads raced to their vehicles to meet the oncoming invaders. Seconds later, an all-out war erupted just a few miles outside of Steel. Gun fire and tires screeching was all that could be heard across the wasteland for miles, aside from the occasional rocket launch. The Dreads behind them wall soon found themselves to be nothing more but sitting targets from random, and focused, rocket fire. The Dreads seriously overestimated their own strength and underestimated the will of their adversaries. The primary reason none of the warriors ever took on the gangsters on their own was because it was impossible to find anyone willing to stand with them against the wasteland terrorists. And who would want to rush off just to die and not affect any change? But Monkey and Trip were more than willing to stand up to the Dreads and make a change. And that lit a fire in each and every warrior they brought. They were more than ready to defeat the Dreads… they were ready to die today to end them… and that made them all very dangerous people.

And made them the deciding factor in turning the tide of Stern's forces.

Not soon after the battle began, the wall Stern put so much focus on was leveled and Steel was exposed. Monkey was weaving in and out of the fray, not taking his sights off his goal: Stern's mansion. He used the armaments Clay put on his bike while Trip helped him out using her crossbow. She was quickly growing fond of that weapon. They were wrecking Dread vehicles left and right, taking so many out that Monkey could only imagine the look on Stern's face.

After seeing the battle wasn't going well for his soldiers, Stern unleashed another weapon: two Dogs reprogrammed to obey his commands. The Dogs charged into battle and crashed into a couple of vehicles, friend and foe, alike. Stern didn't care who the Dogs took out… as long as Monkey died at the end of it all. Monkey and Trip looked and saw the two Dogs. The large wastelander looked down and saw that his Cloud was active. Monkey glowered at the nearest Dog and steered his bike toward it.

"Trip!" he shouted.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Think you can do a little better job of steering the bike this time?"

Trip giggled, remembering when they first ran into the Dreads and she crashed the bike into all of them. It seemed like that happen so long ago. "I can handle it."

She slung her crossbow across her back, via its support strap, while Monkey accelerated toward the Dog. He slowly got ready to jump off of the bike and on to the Dog. Once he was close enough, he made one incredible, bordering on impossible, jump and landed on the Dog's back; Trip quickly took control of the motorcycle. Monkey shoved his staff right into the neck joint and spared no energy in prying its head off in one strong jerk. The Dog crumbled into the sand and Monkey looked to see the other Dog thrashing about. Monkey got on his Cloud and dashed over to the Dog. He managed to get the mechanical hound's attention and caused it to chase after him. One of Monkey's allies saw him being chased and fire a rocket the monstrosity, detonating the ground at its feet and taking out its front right leg. The Dog flipped over and flayed about on the ground, trying to get back to its feet. Before the mechanical hound could recover, Monkey climbed on top of it and jammed his staff into the Dog's underbelly and pried its plating off, as well, causing a small geyser of oil to shoot out as it deactivated.

Trip pulled up to him and stopped. She looked at the Dog. "Easy as ever."

He scoffed. "Easy… right…" He got back at the helm and revved up the motorcycle.

As the war waged on, the couple avoided all of the heavy traffic, leaving their allies to battle the Dreads. Monkey and Trip got inside of Steel and raced toward the mansion. After blowing apart the guard wall and blowing apart the blockade front of Stern's mansion, they arrived at the doorstep of their enemies. Monkey brought his bike to a sliding, screeching halt. Trip quickly dispatched several Dreads with electric field arrow.

Monkey chuckled, lowly.

Trip looked at him, confused. "What?"

"Nothin'. Just for a girl who was terrified of usin' a weapon, you're gettin' pretty good with that."

She just shrugged. But still smiled.

They looked at the mansion to see more Dreads coming at them. Monkey went on the attack. He hopped off of the bike and beat them all down like they were nothing. He growled as he looked at the house. He looked back at Trip. "Ya ready?"

Trip put the crossbow across her back and put on the gloves she was given. She grabbed the crossbow again. "Hell, yes."

Monkey nodded and both moved toward the house. They entered it, via Monkey kicking the doors in, to find no one waiting for them. That immediately made them cautious. This had 'trap' written all over it.

"Monkey…" Trip whispered.

"Just stick with me, Trip," Monkey whispered back.

"That's just it. I think we need to split up."

He was stunned. He turned to look at her, cocking his head to the side. "Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Clay gave me a stronger shield, remember? I'll be fine."

Leaving her alone again in this place did not seem like a good idea at all. "Trip…"

"Trust me, Monkey. I know what I'm doing. Stern's yours." She turned very serious. "I'm only looking for Hammer."

"You… want Hammer?" Steering the bike and taking out enemies left and right with a weapon she was becoming an expert in, Trip was just full of surprises today. They seemed endless.

She then took a tone Monkey had never heard come from her, "That bitch hit me… more than once. It's payback time. And she should appreciate it. Payback is just like her."

Monkey stared at Trip surprised. He got her meaning. He just couldn't believe Trip said it. "What have I done to you?"

She smiled. "Made me better. Stronger. I'm not complaining."

He nodded. He looked her up and down. She was getting sexier by the second. "When this is over… you're in trouble."

She knew he meant the good kind. She smiled and spoke, seductively, "When this is over… I better be." She looked around the area then down a hallway she decided to take. She looked back at her boyfriend. "Good luck."

He nodded. He watched Trip walk off, watching her figure and just admiring her, period, having a new found respect for her. And increased attractiveness. He refocused and went to find his nemesis.

Trip stalked carefully through the house, explosions from the battle outside were still going as it the war reached the innards of Steel, coming closer to the mansion. A few Dreads were coming around the corner and Trip fired a bolt arrow, which stunned and knocked them out. She followed where they came from and took out a couple of more grunts with another bolt arrow…

…before just barely dodging Hammer's weapon coming for her head.

The psycho woman's mallet crashed into the wall. Trip ducked and crawled away quickly, breathing hard from the surprise. She looked up to see Hammer holding the mallet in her hand, having just pulled it free from the wall.

"Ya know…" Hammer stared at her weapon, "when Stern said you and Monkey were leading the charge on our house, I thought, 'there's no way that little snot has the guts to come back here.'" She looked at Trip, "You impress me, girl."

"Ask me if I give a damn," Trip fired back. She put away her crossbow and activated her gloves.

Hammer raised an eyebrow. "What? You wanna fight me?"

Trip glowered at her and grunted, "Hell, yes."

"You have no idea what you're playing with, girl. I'll break you in half before you know what hit you."

"No chance. You might as well give up. You're done, anyway."

"Oh, I don't think so, little girl. In fact… I know the perfect place to bury you when this is over."

"Not if I put you in the ground first."

This new Trip impressed Hammer… but not enough to let her walk away from this. "Bold, bitch. I actually like that. Too bad I gotta kill ya."

"Good luck with that."

Hammer smirked and gritted her teeth. "It's gonna be fun hearing you scream!" She charged at Trip and swung for her head.

At the other end of the house, Monkey moved along cautiously as he listened for any footsteps or movement. Another Dread tried to jump Monkey as he came around a corner but Monkey grabbed the grunt's arm and punched him in the face and knocked him out. Two more rounded the corner armed with guns. Monkey rushed them and broke their arms, using his staff as leverage, before knocking them out. Monkey looked at their unconscious forms on the ground, making sure they were down, before going on to locate Stern. He soon came to Stern's office.

He slowly opened the door.

He didn't see Stern anywhere.

He looked around then slowly walked further into the room.

He took one step. Then another. Then another.

He quickly brought his staff up to block Stern's sword.

"Dammit!" Stern grunted.

Monkey pushed him off and kicked him in the gut, sending him to the floor.

After recovering from the kick, Stern looked up at his enemy with hate in his eyes. "I'm not ready to die, Monkey."

"Too bad." Monkey stood firm. "I ain't givin' you a choice."

He got to his feet, "What makes you think I won't rip you in half?"

"You better try. And you better try hard. 'Cause if ya don't… the only one being ripped in half here… will be you."

"Hmm." He got into a battle stance.

The former friends stared each other down as they got ready to settle this blood feud between them, once and for all.

"You ready?" Stern asked.

Monkey gripped his staff, harder. "Bring it."

* * *

**Next Chapter: End of the Road**

Monkey and Stern will have their final face-off and it will end in a wasteland chase showdown. And Stern has one last trick up his sleeve to kill his nemesis, once and for all.

The war will end.

The struggle will end.

Who will be the victors?

You have to be here for it...


	14. End of the Road

OKAY! Sorry this took so long! But it's here! Ladies and gentlemen, we are at the "End of the Road."

No more recaps or intros!

Time for the war to end...

* * *

**Chapter 14: End of the Road**

Stern went on the attack and Monkey immediately moved backward. He extended his staff and blocked the sword. He swung his staff down, knocking the sword away, then quickly brought it up and hit him on the chin. Stern stumbled back and just barely dodged his enemy's staff coming at his head. Stern got clear and held his sword out to the side. He charged at Monkey and swung for his gut. Monkey jumped back and brought his staff up, knocking the sword away. Quickly placing his weapon across his shoulders, the large wastelander spun and nearly knocked Stern square in the temple. In reaction and despite the stars, Stern got back quickly and tried slashing Monkey again but Monkey deflected the sword and kicked his former friend square in the chest with his foot, sending Stern sailing back.

Stern rolled back and looked up, shocked. He had never seen Monkey like this. So aggressive and yet… so calm, focused. "What… what the hell happened to you?" he asked. "A few days ago… you were fighting like a madman."

"Maybe I just have more to live for now." Monkey adjusted his grip on the staff. "Does it matter?"

Stern got to his feet, "Guess not." With his sword ready, the Dread leader charged at Monkey again.

Elsewhere, Trip had just dodged another attack from the relentless Hammer. Their fight had spilled into the courtyard of the mansion, opposite of the front of the house viewing the city where the war was still waging strong. Trip so far was only able to dodge and defend against Hammer's maniacal attacks, just barely getting to push her back when she could. Insane though she may be, the Dread queen was ruthless and bloodthirsty. A dangerous combination. It was so very to see why she was the second-in-command of the marauder army. She seemed far more dangerous than the entire group that attacked Clay's farm, except for Wild Rider, of course. While any other time Trip would be praying Monkey arrive to same her, she knew she had to put that thinking out of her mind. She needed to do this herself. She had to win. And she had to do it alone.

For once in her life.

Hammer swung her mallet again. She left the stroke out a little too long.

Trip saw her opening.

She retracted, swung, and connected with a left hook, square on Hammer's jaw.

The blow staggered Hammer. She fell to a knee and was literally shocked from the glove's charge but she also couldn't believe… Trip just landed a solid blow.

After realizing what she did, Trip, who was just as surprised as Hammer, looked at her fist in amazement. All her life, Trip had never actually hit anyone… and she'd never exerted so much force before. She looked back at Hammer, who was rubbing her jaw and twitching slightly.

Trip tensed back up and got into a novice boxing stance. "You want more?"

Hammer gritted her teeth. "You'll… pay… for that." She slowly rose to her feet.

"Come and get some…"

Back inside the mansion, Stern sliced through the wooden double doors of his office in his frantic yet calculated attempt to severe ANY part of Monkey's body. Monkey turned a cartwheel and another as the sword wielder came after him. Monkey blocked the sword, swung around and punched Stern in the face. Stern retaliated immediately with a kick to Monkey's jaw. Monkey stumbled back and Stern tired for a straight stab with his sword but Monkey jumped just far back enough to get the distance he needed to use the broadside of his staff to knock him away. He followed up by forcing the staff right into the bridge of Stern's nose, breaking it.

Stern backed up, clutching his bleeding nose. He groaned for a few seconds as he got his bearings back. He pulled his hand, seeing red with his own blood. He stared at his former friend. He growled. "DAMN YOU!"

Monkey just gripped his staff again, getting into another stance. He was more than ready to follow up.

Stern's grip on his exterior was failing. Seeing his own blood only made this all the more real for him. "Dead…" He growled. "You're dead!"

Monkey didn't respond. He just calmly waited for this rant to be over so he could finish this.

"And after I'm done with you… I'm gonna rip that little bitch of yours apart! Piece by piece! And that old man, Clay! He's dead! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I WILL KILL EVERYTHING YOU CARE ABOUT!"

Monkey heard enough. He growled, "You're the one that's dead!"

Stern huffed. "They're gonna die. THEY ARE ALL GONNA DIE! They'll be as dead… as Staff…"

Monkey paused. For a long time. Did he hear that right? Did Stern really just say… "What?"

Stern smiled. He got him. Unintentional… but he got him. Right where he wanted him. "Oh… you don't know… well, of course, you don't. Yeah… he's gone, Monkey."

Monkey shook his head. He stood up straight. His grip on his staff loosened. "No…"

"Yep. As a deactivated mech."

Monkey looked at the ground. He was in shock. His mentor… his friend… the man who taught him everything, who turned his life around… was gone.

"Do you wanna know what happened to Staff?"

Monkey gritted his teeth. He didn't want to know. "Stop."

"I went to the town he was holed up in…"

"Stern…"

"Asked him how he was…"

Monkey's breathing came out harsher.

"What was new in his life…"

"Shut up…" he forced out in a whisper.

"And then…"

Monkey looked like he was about to bite through his jaw. He knew what his enemy was about to say. And he couldn't bear it.

"I murdered that old bastard!"

"STERN!" Monkey roared. He attacked Stern with even more ferocity than before.

Stern kept backing up and defending himself. He couldn't even get any offense in because Monkey was relentless.

Staff was dead. And Stern killed him.

And all Monkey could see was red.

Blood.

Staff's blood on Stern's hands.

And how, oh so very soon, Stern's blood would be on his.

Monkey had no intentions of letting Stern live today… but now… there was no foreseeable way for Stern would walk away from this alive at all.

He dug his own grave… the minute he ended Staff's life. All Stern did, in Monkey's mind, was guarantee he would die at Monkey's hand.

Stern hadn't counted on this. He thought his revealing Staff's demise would make Monkey feral but easier to predict.

That was anything but accurate.

As the situation stood, Stern had a better chance before he hit Monkey's final trigger. Monkey's anger was uncontrollable and unstoppable. He was going to use every bit of his power, down to his very soul, to kill Stern.

And it scared the Dread leader.

Stern rushed at Monkey one more time with his sword drawn. But Monkey caught the blade, getting it practically wrapped around his staff, and, with one powerful twist, he snapped the blade off.

Stern staggered back and looked at the broken blade, aghast. He looked back in his adversary's eyes and he could see it…

Monkey was ready to kill him.

And Stern had no way to defend himself.

With no other alternative, Stern did the only logical thing he could do: he took off running. He burst through the remnants of his door and dashed as quickly as he could for his car. Monkey was hot on his heels. Stern headed for the Dread's car pool. Monkey was more than anxious to get his hands around his throat.

While chasing after his chief adversary through the mansion, Monkey suddenly tackled to the ground. He looked to see Rod was the culprit. The Dread lieutenant was still clearly in considerable pain from his and Monkey's last encounter and seemed as though he was a few seconds from falling apart. Monkey realized that they must have set his arms back in place but he was still tender and could not have possibly fully healed already. Energy vials or not, some injuries, such as dislocated joints, didn't completely heal that quickly.

Monkey had no time for this. He had to go after Stern. He needed to end this. He had to finish this war. Then again… his mind flashed to all the torture that Rod put him through as a child. Maybe he did have a few moments to settle this particular grudge… once and for all.

Rod tried to bum rush Monkey but the motorcycle expert elbowed him in the nose and punched him the face. Rod growled and reached for his gun he had behind his back. Monkey had it scouted and quickly kicked away as soon as it was drawn. The damaged soldier tried to tackle Monkey but the large wastelander gave him a double sledge to the back, sending him to the ground. Rod landed on his hands, which brought him more pain and nearly dislocated his joints again. He raised his face in time to have it punched by Monkey's large, gauntlet covered fist, breaking his jaw. He rolled along the ground before stopping, sitting up on his hands. He was panting, trying to get his air back as fast as he could. His mind was racing a million miles an hour to figure out how to beat Monkey. Any way to beat him. If he didn't end this now… Rod knew… Monkey was going to win today and destroy the Dreads.

He couldn't let that happen.

He went to the well once more to use everything he had, all of nothing.

Rod jumped up, swiftly, putting all of the power he had left into one more punch… but he was far too weak for this fight.

And Monkey was way too strong.

Monkey easily smacked the incoming attack away, followed by extending his staff. He struck Rod hard across the face then, getting behind his former tormentor, Monkey forced the staff against Rod's throat and pulled back. Rod tried in vain to fight Monkey off but it was no use. He had no more strength. His body was far too broken.

And he was slowly… steadily… losing consciousness.

Losing air.

Losing life.

And he wasn't going to get it back.

In those last few seconds, Rod had to admit what he never in his life thought he had to:

Monkey was stronger than him.

That was his last thought.

Once he was positive he was gone, Monkey let Rod fall to the ground. He stared down at the body of his enemy, trying to catch his breath and steady himself at what he just accomplished. All of the years of torture as a kid at this man's hands, all that time of being afraid of him… were over.

He did it.

Nevertheless, he couldn't dwell on this victory. He wasn't done yet. He'd savor them all once Stern was dead.

Monkey made it outside to see Stern peeling out of the compound in his car: an armored up two door sedan. The staff fighter got on his bike and started it up, gearing it up to give chase to Stern. He looked back when he saw Trip coming from around the corner, still fighting it out with Hammer. She had just managed to knock Hammer down for a moment and looked up to see Monkey staring at her.

She looked at the car as it drove off, imagining that it must be Stern trying to get away. She looked back to see the look in Monkey's eyes and could tell he wasn't sure about going after Stern and leaving her there. But she knew he needed to. He had to. There was no other way to do finish this. And she was just going to be fine.

"GO!" she yelled.

That was all the confirmation he needed. Where, in the past, he would have apprehensive about leaving Trip alone, today… he knew she could handle herself. Monkey revved up the bike and took off after Stern.

Trip watched Monkey take off, praying he was ready for this confrontation and for his safe return and victory.

But her prayer time was short lived.

Hammer managed to catch her in the back with a tackle. They both rolled along the ground. Hammer got on top of Trip and raised her mallet high to crush Trip's skull. The redhead retaliated by punching her in the stomach as hard as she could. The black haired witch fell over. She tried to get up but Trip drew back and punched her again. They both got to their feet and Hammer swung again but Trip ducked out of the away and hit Hammer over and over… over again. Hammer couldn't get any kind of defense in and could only absorb this flurry of punches; she was practically out on her feet. Trip drew back one last time as far as she could and swung.

Hammer saw the fist coming… and couldn't do a damn thing about it… except think, '_Shit…_'

The redheaded tech gave the Dread queen one last all-out, power-fueled punch to the face with all of the force she had, knocking several of Hammer's teeth out and sending them both back into the dirt.

After taking a few deep breaths, Trip got back to her feet and brought her fists up, expecting more of a fight…

…but Hammer wasn't moving.

At all.

Trip couldn't believe it.

She kept staring, thinking it was a trick. But nothing. Hammer wasn't moving at all.

She slowly lowered her guard. '_Did… did I… just win?_'

She didn't have time to confirm it or savor it as she heard a wayward missile screaming though the air. She saw it coming straight for where she was and ran as fast she could to avoid being in ground zero. She got away just in time and as the missile hit the ground. The impact was so grand that it took Trip right off of her feet while she was still running. She landed hard as the explosion subsided and looked back at the area where she was avoided.

She saw the scorched earth.

She saw the missile shrapnel.

She saw Hammer's mallet… with charred skeletal hand gripped around its handle.

Trip was shocked. But was relieved. She fell to her knees and actually chuckled. The fight was over.

Now… all that was left… was for Monkey to settle his score.

And end this war.

Passing the war they both started, the two nemeses scorched the ground across the wasteland, heading out into the desert, away from Steel. Stern activated the armaments on his car, turning on a machine gun mounted on the roof of the car, attempting to spray Monkey with bullets. Monkey just weaved all around the past of the bullets.

While they were still racing against each other, Monkey noticed bullets whizzing past him from behind. He looked and saw Roadblock and Barricade coming up behind him, firing at him. With being surrounded, the large wastelander was trying to figure how to deal with all three of his enemies.

Fortunately, Monkey wasn't alone.

Two of the vehicles of the wastelander's allies followed behind and opened fire on the twins. Showering the twins with gunfire, the duo was forced to break off pursuit. They tried to get around their attackers to get back on the trail of Monkey. However, one of the warriors fired a rocket at Barricade's truck, causing to flip over numerous times. Roadblock saw his brother's truck crash and spun around to head back. He was close to his twin when, out of seemingly nowhere, Clay's tow truck crashed right into the side of Roadblock's truck, sending it skidding across the sand before it flipped on its top.

The old scavenger was still hurting from the farm assault but, as he told Monkey and Trip, the only way he was missing any part of this fight was "if I'm buried 12' under." Trip attempted to correct him, asking if he meant six feet. But he rebuffed her, saying that wasn't deep enough to keep him out of this. Monkey and Trip just laughed at him.

Clay fired rockets from his truck and detonated both trucks, ending the Dread twins. The white haired warrior saw that the twins were no longer a problem and saw Clay waving at him to continue after Stern. The large wastelander hit his throttle as hard as he could and screeched off after his nemesis.

The mortal enemies continued their race against each other, Stern trying to take solid aim at Monkey when he could. But it wasn't effective as Monkey could easily maneuver out of the machine gun's line of fire.

Stern knew that it was only a matter of time before he was out of bullets… and luck.

He had to end this… if he was going to survive.

And there was only one last way he could.

They were getting close to a large oil refinery where Stern was about to activate his last ace in the hole.

One of the most dangerous, unpredictable mechs ever created.

One Monkey had only faced one time before… and barely survived.

A Rhino.

This was an admittedly risky maneuver on Stern's part since the Rhino wasn't like the Dogs; it wasn't programmed to obey anyone's orders.

It was programmed to destroy.

As they passed the refinery, Stern hit the activation circuit and the Rhino awakened. It crashed out of the metal structure and followed Stern's signal, chasing after him and Monkey.

Monkey looked behind him to see the rampaging mech approaching. "Oh, shit!" The Rhino chased after Monkey, every step shaking the world and bringing him closer and closer to his prey. The large wastelander growled. '_Stern! Have you lost your damn mind?_'

But if he knew the answer… how much the Dread leader was filled with bloodlust… how unstable he probably was because of all of this… the truth would probably actually frighten Monkey. After all, Stern was losing it all. Had lost it all. He is on the ropes, back against the wall… and terrifyingly desperate…

His last bits of sanity were gone.

…if he had any to begin with.

The Rhino rattled the earth with its massive metal hooves, almost knocking Monkey off course since he had to accommodate for the shaky ground. He weaved in and out, just barely dodging the monster's charge when it came close. After a few misses by the Rhino, the wastelander found he had to avoid Stern's machine gun again. Stern was taking advantage of Monkey's focus on the Rhino and not on him. The chase lasted for well over fifteen minutes. Monkey just barely dodging the bullets and the charges but he knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. Something had to give soon or else Stern would win this. And that could not happen.

Soon, an opportunity for one last ditch effort presented itself.

The road they were on was about to run alongside a large ravine.

Monkey saw it and took in his entire situation.

Stern's machine gun and the Rhino.

Stern's car and the Rhino.

Stern and the Rhino.

The ravine.

Monkey had one last play… one last chance to take out his enemy once and for all.

And he only had one shot.

It was all he needed.

Once they were closer to the ravine, Monkey fired the rockets on his bike; one rocket his the back of Stern's car while the other his road just before them. Stern lost control and the car started to spin out of control, even more so after hitting the damaged road. At the last second, Monkey turned the bike and slammed on the brakes. For if there was one thing he remembered about Rhinos, it was they were big, tough, fast… and couldn't bank worth a damn.

Monkey skidded out of the way just as the Rhino ran right past him, attempting to turn all the while, but it failed. In its frantic attempt to turn, it tripped over its own colossal legs and started to slide along the road. Stern saw the behemoth coming and gritted his teeth… there was nothing he could do.

It slammed right into him. Stern and the Rhino sailed off the road and both rolled down into the ravine.

Time slowed for Stern… he didn't feel the crash… all he saw was the world slowly turning out in front of his windshield… he didn't realize he was screaming… he certainly didn't realize he was screaming Monkey's name. The world went black the second the twisted metal heap hit the ravine floor.

Monkey looked down at the crash site, getting his wind back. He stared at metal mass for a few seconds, not fully realizing yet that he just won. Stern had to be dead. No one could survive that. But he had to be sure. He had to be sure this was over. He found a safe path and drove down into the ravine.

After getting down to the impact point, Monkey got off of his bike and walked up to the wreckage. The Rhino's head, completely ajar of its body, had sparks coming out of its neck joint as the light in its eye slowly faded out. Small fires were in various areas and sparks of electricity shooting out from random parts of the Rhino. Monkey walked around and found Stern mangled inside the wreckage of his car. Stern was barely able to turn his head due to the immense amount of trauma to his body. Monkey looked and saw that, among the numerous, and some very enormous, lacerations, Stern had a large piece of metal sticking out of his abdomen.

Monkey could easily see what Stern feeling. It was only a matter of seconds now.

Stern's breathing was coming faster and faster as his end approached. He bared his teeth. "What… you… feel… bad now?"

Monkey was silent, narrowing his eyes a little.

"No… no, you're happy." He chuckled a little, then winced in pain. He swallowed. "But… but you d… don't get to judge me… you… aren't… any better!"

Monkey contemplated what his dying nemesis just said. "You're right." He shook his head, "I'm not. But I saw where this was leading and got out. You should have, too. And now? I got more to live for."

"We… can't… can't all be… a… as lucky as you… big… guy…"

"No… I guess not."

Stern took a few more deep breaths. Then his breathing slowed. He took one more. Then a final exhale. He was gone.

Monkey looked at him. He couldn't believe it.

It was over.

Finally over.

He didn't have to avoid Stern or Rod or Hammer or the twins ever again… they were gone. It was over.

He looked around and let it all go. He got back on his bike and headed back for Steel.

Monkey approached hearing cheers echoing across the wasteland. When he got close enough, the cheers were thunderous as the warriors held up their fists and weapons high in the air, triumphant over the Dreads. When they saw Monkey, they cheered louder, knowing that him being there meant Stern was dead. While being patted on the shoulder and back by his comrades, Monkey looked through crowd and saw Trip running for him. He ran for her and they hugged as tight as possible. She kissed him on the cheek and he just held her closer.

"You did it…" she whispered.

"No…" he whispered back. "_We_ did it…"

She smiled and hugged him tighter while tears fell from her eyes.

The war was won.

And victory belonged to them.

* * *

The Dreads are dead. The war in Steel is over.

But we have just one last little bit to get to! :)

**Next Chapter: Epilogue**

Monkey and Trip go to pay their last respects to Monkey's mentor.

Be here for the conclusion. And for the thanks. But here's one early. Thank you guys. I love you all. And I mean that.


	15. Epilogue

Enjoy! :)

* * *

**Epilogue**

Monkey was fixing his bike in Clay's barn, repairing any remaining damage from his final fight with Stern four days ago. The remaining Dreads were scattered all over the place, being hunted by the warriors Monkey and Trip gathered. The Dreads were dead and any remnants would be wiped out soon enough.

It was over.

But there was still one last trip to take.

Trip walked into the barn and leaned over the motorcycle, looking down at her boyfriend. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," he replied.

"How's it going?"

"A few more tugs here and there and we're good to go."

"Cool."

He looked at her before tightening another bolt. "Did you wanna stay?"

"I go where you go." She walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And if you want to go pay your respect to your friend, we can."

He stopped working and looked straight ahead. He thought it over. "More like I need to. I owe Staff that much. If it hadn't been for him… I'd still be in the Dreads. Still living that kinda life." He looked at Trip, "Never would've met you."

She smiled. "Then I need to thank him, too." She kissed him on the cheek.

A few hours later, Monkey finished all of the repairs to the bike and he and Trip got a few things together to take on their journey. As they got ready, Clay was standing in the barn, holding himself up on his makeshift cane.

"Packed kinda light, ain't ya?" Clay asked, looking at their provisions.

"We might be back," Trip pointed out. She looked at his physical condition. "You seem to be holding up well."

"Yep. That fight probably set back my recovery a lil' bit but them's the brakes."

She giggled. "Told you to stay home."

He chuckled, "And like I told ya…"

"12 feet under… I remember…"

He laughed.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Monkey asked him.

Clay looked down at his leg. "Few more energy vials, some more rest, and I'll be good as new. Which, these days, ain't sayin' a whole helluva lot but, hey, gettin' old is hell." He looked up at the couple. His voice turned very sincere, "I don't know if I made it clear but… you two can stay… long as ya like. I got no problem with that."

Trip looked at him then at Monkey, wanting him to answer.

Monkey nodded. "Thanks. We just may take you up on that. But for now… there's something we need to do."

Clay nodded. He understood that, perfectly. "Well… whateva y'all decide? Ya both always got a place here."

Monkey nodded. "Thanks, Clay… whether we come back or not… thanks… for everything."

He just smiled. "Like I told ya… you two are tha only people I've met worth gettin' hurt over in a long time. It's honor to meet loyal people like that again."

In a surprising gesture, Monkey walked up to Clay and offered his hand. Clay looked his hand, pleasantly surprised. He smiled and the warriors shook hands.

Two days later, Monkey and Trip were in the town of Crow, Staff's last home. After moving to a couple of settlements, due to mech attacks and Dread hunts, the old warrior settled there. He was said to be living in total peace, free from conflict.

Until Stern found him.

Monkey learned of his location through the accounts of some of the warriors who helped in the assault on Steel. They remembered because it was so rare that Stern ever journeyed from Steel, as oppose to sending the Dreads out to do his work for him.

The story went that Stern came to town and confronted Staff about any possible locations of Monkey. When Staff refused to tell him anything, Stern threatened the whole town with death and destruction. Staff couldn't let that happen so he offered the evil warlord a deal: his life in exchange for the town.

Stern accepted.

The townspeople said Staff had a look in his eyes of no regrets… and no fear. And pride. He explained, just before going to meet his former ward and his own demise, that he lived his life and it was a good one, better than most. And he was proud to die for a noble cause.

Monkey chuckled when he heard that. It sounded just like the old man.

After his death, the townspeople erected a large, metal cross in the center of town as a memorial to their de facto leader and hero.

After getting the whole story, Monkey went to the monument built to his mentor. He stood before the cross, made out of support beams, staring at it for a while. He remembered his past, all the pain he went through, all the years of torment. And, how, in all of that, only one man ever truly believed in him.

Stern and the others just used him. Like they used everybody but Staff…

Staff believed in Monkey. Knew he could be more.

Monkey realized that because Staff believed in him… Monkey managed to turn his life away from what it had been. Because of that turnaround, he had Trip now. Everything Staff knew Monkey could be… he was starting to realize he could become.

And from this day on, Monkey swore he would always be more. Always.

The white haired wastelander put his hand on the cross. "Staff… thanks… for everything. I never would've come this far without you…" He looked at the top of the cross. "Good-bye."

It wasn't an overemotional goodbye. But it was one that needed to take place. That part of his life was over and done. And it was time to move on. Take every lesson he learned with him, of course, but move on. The past was done.

Still… even Monkey has a heart.

He walked up to Trip and she saw something she never had before.

A tear falling from his eye.

She put her hand on the side of his face, stoking his cheek with her thumb. "You okay?"

He nodded. "I will be."

She smiled.

And he smiled. She had that affect… and effect on him. He liked it.

She kissed him.

After the kiss, he stared at her, "I was thinking…"

"Yeah?"

"Clay… ain't so bad."

She smiled.

"We can stay there until he gets on my nerves."

"So… we're staying for a day?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad."

"If you say so."

He glared at her. "Do ya wanna go back or not?"

She giggled, "I go where you want to go. Wherever that is…"

He smirked. He did like the road. But maybe part of his problem… was he was always moving. He didn't have to anymore. And he always wanted to stay with her. And he knew she wanted some place to call home. When he thought about it, deep down, so did he. "Let's go back…"

She smiled and nodded.

He hopped on his motorcycle, Trip getting on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Monkey started the bike up. Before leaving, the wastelander gazed at the memorial to his departed mentor.

Seeing his gaze, Trip stared at the monument, as well. "I never met him… but I'll forget him. I sure am grateful to him." She looked at her lover. "For you…"

He looked at her. He smiled. He revved the bike up and steered back toward Clay's.

With the Dreads and even the mechs nothing but memories to them both now, the world seemed less perilous. The future wasn't just something that you wished you would see; it was something that you could look forward to.

The days were no longer full of danger.

They were full of something the couple never thought they'd experience again:

Hope.

* * *

And that is our tale. While I'm very proud of this story... I'm also really sad it's come to an end! I'm really close to tears right now! Wow! lol. But, like I said, I'm proud of myself for this one.

Now for the thanks!

To some LOYAL reviewers, first off, Miss Ashlynn, thank you for being there! I hope it ended well for ya! To Arcane Student, you may have stumbled across this later, but your reviews meant the world to me, as well! Thank you so much! To other reviewers and alerts and favorites, thank you so much! And last but most certainly NOT least, Flutterdash7! (I know you didn't think I forgot about you!) You are my one of my most loyal supporters and I can't thank you enough for that! I didn't know having such loyal support from someone I never met would mean so much but it does! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! THANK YOU ALL!

Everyone, until we meet again, stay blessed, stay strong, and READ FOREVER! LONG LIVE WORDS! Take care, everyone!

All my love, prayers, and gratitude,

T2 Angel


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